Vladimir Putin’s senior economic advisor Kirill Dmitriev with Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, St. Petersburg, Russia, April 11, 2025
Wednesday’s Coverage: Zelensky — Hungary’s “Banditry” with Seizure of $122 Million in Gold and Cash
Vladimir Putin’s top financial advisor Kirill Dmitriev has again conferred with Donald Trump’s envoys about Russia’s 4-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Dmitriev met real estate developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Florida on Wednesday. Witkoff posted:
Today in Florida, the Russian delegation led by Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev met with the U.S. delegation, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and White House Senior Advisor Josh Gruenbaum.
The teams discussed a variety of topics and agreed to stay in touch.
— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) March 11, 2026
Three sets of Ukraine-Russia-US talks since February have failed to curb Moscow’s maximalist demands, including the seizure of all of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the Trump camp has proposed another session next week.
At the end of October, Dmitriev colluded with Witkoff and Kushner on a 28-point ultimatum to Ukraine, including Kyiv’s abandonment of Donetsk and no effective security guarantees. The initiative was overtaken by a Ukraine-Europe response maintaining defense and security while trying to end the Russian invasion.
Russia’s Oil Revenue Boost from US-Israel War on Iran
Meanwhile, amid the US-Israel War on Iran, the Trump Administration is giving Russia a lifeline for its oil revenues.
Russia has earned an additional €6 billion ($6.9 billion) since the US and Israel started the war on February 28, as the Trump Administration eases sanctions on the Kremlin.
The Administration has given India, Russia’s second-largest customer, a 30-day waiver. Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have said more restrictions may be suspended.
The additional earnings are enough for Russia to purchase 17,000 Shahed attack drones every 24 hours.
Alexander Kirk, Sanctions Campaigner at the German non-profit Urgewald, summarizes:
This is a political choice. Governments can hold the line on sanctions, or they can signal that if energy prices rise high enough, the West will always find a reason to blink.
That choice will not just prolong Ukrainian suffering. It will undermine the security of Europe as a whole.
