The President of the Russian National Wealth Fund, Dmitriev, is visiting Washington. This marks the highest-level visit from the Kremlin to the US since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. Kirill Dmitriev, the President of the Russian National Wealth Fund, announced on his Telegram channel today that he is in Washington, the capital of the US, to hold discussions aimed at improving the relationship between the two countries. This visit by a Kremlin official is the highest-level one to the US since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Dmitriev stated in his message that he had meetings with representatives of the Trump administration in Washington, but did not provide further details on the matter. Prior to Dmitriev’s statement, reports in the US media indicated that the President of the Russian Wealth Fund had arrived in Washington yesterday and would be meeting with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, at the White House. The Washington Post (WP) reported that Dmitriev had begun his meeting with Trump’s special envoy Witkoff in Washington. A person who spoke on the condition of anonymity informed that the discussions were ongoing. Dmitriev’s visit to the US comes at a time when the Trump administration is working to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and as relations with Russia have started to warm up after the Biden administration. In his Telegram message, Dmitriev used the words, “The dialogue between Russia and the United States, which is of great importance to the whole world, was completely destroyed in the Biden administration. Rebuilding dialogue is not an easy process; it occurs gradually. However, every meeting, every candid conversation allows us to make progress.” Russia is seeking the lifting of sanctions imposed by the US as part of a peace agreement with Ukraine. According to claims in the US media, Dmitriev, who is also on the US sanction list, was able to visit the US after restrictions against him were temporarily eased. Following the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the first high-level official meeting between the two countries occurred between the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart Marco Rubio. Lavrov, Rubio, and their delegations met in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on February 18. Rubio mentioned, “If the conflict in Ukraine ends, there will be extraordinary opportunities for US-Russia relations.” President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin also had a phone conversation during this period. Trump announced on February 12 that he had spoken with Putin over the phone. The two leaders conducted another phone call on March 18, which reportedly lasted 2.5 hours, discussing details regarding the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire process. Although Ukraine and Russia have agreed through US efforts to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, both countries continue to accuse each other of violating this agreement.