MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on a potential trilateral meeting between Russian, Ukrainian and US officials, and a recent trip to the United States by special presidential envoy and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev at a news briefing on Friday.
TASS has summarized key statements from the Russian presidential spokesman.
Prospects of trilateral meeting
- Even as the possibility of a trilateral meeting between representatives of Russia, the US, and Ukraine was discussed during a [September 8] phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, there are no specific details yet: "As you may recall, this is what we discussed following the phone call between Putin and Trump. That is what we are talking about. Indeed, such a discussion took place. They spoke about the possibility of a meeting in the near future <…>. I cannot provide any further details at this time."
On Dmitriev’s US trip
- Dmitriev who serves as the Russian Presidential Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries has continued contacts with US negotiators, focusing primarily on potential economic cooperation in the economic sphere: "He is continuing his contacts with American negotiators and remains focused on issues of potential economic cooperation, which is currently absent. Yet there is understanding that it could be mutually beneficial. Such discussions regarding possibilities are taking place,
- Meanwhile, it is too early to assess the results of Dmitriev’s trip to the United States: "It is too early to discuss the results."
On China-US contacts
- Russia views meetings between the Chinese and US leaderships as extremely important: "Certainly, contacts between the world’s two largest powers and economies are always an event that attracts global attention, including in Russia. These are very important contacts."
- As regards their impact on the potential use by the United States of the "sanctions from hell," Russia will watch how the situation develops: "As regards the possibility of using the ‘sanctions from hell," we don’t know yet how, when and whether at all it will happen. <…> We will continue to monitor developments."
On EU sanctions against ex-RT France chief
- European Union sanctions against former RT France Editor-in-Chief Ksenia Fyodorova amount to blatant pressure on journalists and persecution of media representatives: "These are not the first illegal sanctions of this kind. This is blatant pressure on the media, this is persecution of media representatives. This is the suppression of any dissent in the country, and [the sanctions against Fyodorova] are clear evidence of the practices that the French authorities allow themselves to employ.".