Kirill Dmitriev told reporters that he is in the United
States at the invitation of the US, noting that the trip had been planned well
in advance.
The Russian presidential envoy is in the United States to
discuss ways to maintain dialogue and for Washington to begin treating Russia's
interests—and Putin's stated positions—with genuine respect.
Dmitriev asserted that Europe is making repeated attempts to
obstruct any direct dialogue between Russia and the United States, or between
Putin and Trump.
He added that he is holding a series of meetings, mostly
behind closed doors, in the United States with various members of the Trump
administration and others.
According to Dmitriev, negotiations on Ukraine are being
dragged out by kyiv, which has no real desire to resolve the conflict or
address key issues.