Exclusively - to the "Old Square". A special project. expert opinion. Donald Trump is considering removing the sanctions from the Russian Direct Investment Fund, headed by Kirill Dmitriev, the New York Times writes citing sources. A senior US official in a comment to the newspaper called Dmitriev a "useful emissary". A possible removal of the sanctions on RDIF is an important signal; Can we say that Dmitriev turned out to be an extremely effective negotiator - experts told Straya Ploshchad about this. Head of the group of political experts Konstantin Kalachev: This is very serious news, but it should be evaluated carefully. The shift from Trump's request to the US Treasury from a strict block to the study of the Russian Direct Investment Fund's request to remove restrictions is a significant departure from previous sanctions policy. The change in Washington's position is directly related to the economic interests of the United States and the political interests of Trump.
As you know, in early October 2026, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump concluded a large-scale "diesel deal" to reduce global and American prices for this fuel. Since RDIF is actively helping to resolve tactical and regulatory issues regarding the dispatch of tankers, the United States needs a working and legally "clean" financial instrument to transact. Before the midterm elections, Trump wants to show progress in relations with Russia and their benefit to the American market. In fact, Dmitriev is successfully using RDIF's status as a sovereign fund to build bridges. He was able to link the critical US need for Russian diesel with the need to unfreeze his fund, and proposed RDIF as the necessary operator of the deal.
Trump's representatives in the media comments call Dmitriev a "useful emissary" and an effective mediator through whom the White House was able to conduct significant non-public economic and political negotiations.