President of Russia’s National Wealth Fund Dmitriev, met with American officials in Washington, hinting that the dialogue between the two countries could continue next week. The President and special representative responsible for foreign investment and economic cooperation of Russia, Kirill Dmitriev, evaluated US-Russia relations in a statement to the Russian state media. Visiting the US on April 3rd, Dmitriev said that talks between Moscow and Washington could “possibly continue as early as next week.” Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Dmitriev mentioned meeting with representatives of US President Donald Trump in Washington, stating that the two sides had “moved three steps forward” on a wide range of issues. Among the topics discussed were bilateral relations, cooperation in the business sector, and the conflict in Ukraine. Responding to questions from Channel One, Dmitriev answered the question on whether there would be new contacts between Russia and the US with the words “As early as next week.” The Russian official, who also mentioned receiving many requests from American companies to return to Russia, described the meetings they had during the week as the “beginning of a good and respectful dialogue,” but argued that there were still many people in the US government hostile towards Russia. Continuing his remarks with reference to these “enemies,” Dmitriev stated, “They haven’t gone anywhere. The so-called deep state is still there. Many countries are trying to undermine dialogue attempts and efforts to repair Russia-US relations.” Pointing out the “fragile hope” regarding the restoration of dialogue, the Russian official stressed the need to resist efforts to disrupt the strengthening of ties. Following the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict after Donald Trump’s second term as US President began in January 2025, the first high-level official meeting between the two countries took place between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his American counterpart Marco Rubio. Lavrov, Rubio, and their delegations met in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on February 18. Rubio had commented on the meeting, saying, “If the Ukrainian conflict ends, extraordinary opportunities will arise for US-Russia relations.” During this period, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had also conducted a phone call. Trump had announced a phone call with Putin on February 12. The two leaders had another phone call on March 18, lasting 2.5 hours, during which details of the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire process were discussed. Even though Ukraine and Russia had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure with the US’s initiative, they continued to accuse each other of violating this agreement.