MOSCOW: Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev is in the United States for talks on the economy, Russia said Friday, stressing that he would not be holding discussions on the Ukraine war.
"Kirill Dmitriev is not conducting negotiations on a settlement of the Ukrainian issue. This does not constitute a resumption of negotiations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP.
"Kirill Dmitriev heads the economic affairs group and he continues his work within the framework of this group."
Dmitriev, who heads a Russian state investment fund, has been one of Moscow's main conduits for talks with Washington since Donald Trump returned to the White House last year and has travelled to the US several times, including last month.
He is pushing for the US to relax sanctions and boost business ties with Russia, though has made little progress.
Talks on the Ukraine war have been stalled for weeks, with Moscow sticking to hard-line territorial and political demands that Ukraine has ruled out.
Trump has flipped between putting pressure on Moscow and Kyiv to end the conflict, which he claimed he would resolve within hours of returning to office.
