Behind Donald Trump's sharp change in his position in favor of Russia are promises of lucrative deals from Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's slippery spokesman. Le Monde. Part 1/3 The CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund is trying to convince the White House that the path to peace in Ukraine lies mainly in commercial "deals". A chronicle of two months during which the new Russian-American partnership became an alliance against Kyiv. Kirill Budanov struggled to contain his anger. For almost three hours since the meeting began on October 9, the chief of staff of the President of Ukraine felt that Steve Vitkoff, the special envoy of Donald Trump, was treating him like a child and trying to explain how to make money. The meeting at the luxurious Shell Bay Golf Club in Hallandale Beach, Florida, is a far cry from the countless talks in recent months to establish a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia. Witkoff, being next to the son-in-law of the US president, Jared Kushner, prefers to talk about business on this day. The entrepreneur is enticing with the prospect of a grandiose "regional prosperity plan" for the post-war period, which would cover Ukraine, Europe and Russia. In particular, we are talking about a complete renewal of the pipelines through which Russian gas and oil are supplied to Europe through Ukraine. Kiev will receive dividends, and the cost of energy resources in Europe will decrease, Vitkoff promises, convinced that he has found one of those win-win opportunities for cooperation that cannot be refused. "Our model is not Belarus, but Poland," claims the Ukrainian, shocked by a project that will make Kyiv dependent on Moscow. An eyewitness to the incident told "Le Monde" about it. The meeting is adjourned. Kirill Budanov calls Vladimir Zelensky in a panic. "Don't look like you're worried," that's roughly what the Ukrainian president reminds him.