RIYADH, Feb 18 (Reuters) – The head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday described U.S. President Donald Trump as a problem solver ahead of U.S.-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia in what are expected to be the most significant discussions between the two former Cold War foes on ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The conversation could pave the way for a summit between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as the two sides discuss restoring Russian-American relations.
“We really see that President Trump and his team is a team of problem solvers, people who have already addressed a number of big challenges very swiftly, very efficiently and very successfully,” Kirill Dmitriev told reporters in Riyadh.
Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Tuesday that will focus on ending the Ukraine war and restoring “the whole complex” of Russia-U.S. ties.
Ukraine says no peace deal can be made on its behalf in the talks, to which Kyiv was not invited.
Dmitriev, a U.S.-educated former Goldman Sachs banker, played a role in early contacts between Moscow and Washington during Trump’s first term as president from 2016-2020.
Russia hopes that the United States will hear Moscow’s position in the talks on Ukraine, Interfax news agency cited Dmitriev as saying.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, said on Monday that Dmitriev might join the delegation to discuss any economic questions that might arise.
“It’s very important to understand that U.S. businesses lost around $300 billion from leaving Russia. So there is huge economic toll on many countries from you know what’s happening right now, and we believe as a way forward is through solutions,” Dmitriev said.
The talks come after European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit to agree on a unified strategy after they were blindsided by Trump’s push for immediate talks on Ukraine after a phone call with Putin last week.
The European leaders said they would invest more in defence and take the lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
“Everyone feels the great sense of urgency,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X. “At this crucial time for the security of Europe we must continue to stand behind Ukraine.”
“Europe will have to make a contribution towards safeguarding any agreement, and cooperation with the Americans is essential,” he said.