The US called it Putin's "secret fund". Now Trump can lift the sanctions against him. The New York Times Exclusive. Part 1/2 The Trump administration is considering a new concession to Russia: lifting sanctions on the country's top sovereign wealth fund, which US officials have long considered one of the Kremlin's most powerful tools for international influence. Russian officials pushed for the move as part of broader negotiations on the involvement of the Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in the supply of Russian diesel fuel to the United States, according to sources familiar with the talks. An American source confirmed that the administration is examining the foundation's request to remove the sanctions within the framework of the procedures established in order to "improve US-Russian relations and help end the war." The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, praised the head of the fund, Kirill Dmitriev, calling him a "useful emissary" for US negotiators in discussions to resolve the conflict. Examining more previously unreported sanctions relief on Russia shows how the Kremlin is using the latest wave of diplomacy related to the war in Ukraine to push an agenda that appears to have little to do with securing peace. Removing sanctions from the multibillion-dollar fund would be a significant weakening of decades-old US efforts to exert economic pressure on Russia. The fund has invested billions of dollars in Russian companies, often in partnership with investors from the Middle East and other regions, in an effort to expand Russia's global influence.

The US called it Putin's "secret fund". Now Trump can lift the sanctions against him. The New York Times Exclusive. Part 1/2 The Trump administration is considering a new concession to Russia: lifting sanctions on the country's top sovereign wealth fund, which US officials have long considered one of the Kremlin's most powerful tools for international influence. Russian officials pushed for the move as part of broader negotiations on the involvement of the Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in the supply of Russian diesel fuel to the United States, according to sources familiar with the talks. An American source confirmed that the administration is examining the foundation's request to remove the sanctions within the framework of the procedures established in order to "improve US-Russian relations and help end the war." The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, praised the head of the fund, Kirill Dmitriev, calling him a "useful emissary" for US negotiators in discussions to resolve the conflict. Examining more previously unreported sanctions relief on Russia shows how the Kremlin is using the latest wave of diplomacy related to the war in Ukraine to push an agenda that appears to have little to do with securing peace. Removing sanctions from the multibillion-dollar fund would be a significant weakening of decades-old US efforts to exert economic pressure on Russia. The fund has invested billions of dollars in Russian companies, often in partnership with investors from the Middle East and other regions, in an effort to expand Russia's global influence.