Putin Stacks Negotiation Team With Ex-Spies and Sanctioned Elites, Bloomberg Reports

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is reportedly assembling a team of close allies to negotiate with US representatives as former President Donald Trump pushes for a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on February 14, citing anonymous sources.

Yuri Ushakov

According to unnamed sources, the Russian team includes Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s Chief Foreign Policy Advisor, who has been Putin’s aide for over a decade and previously served as Russia’s ambassador to the US (1998-2008).

With over fifty years of diplomatic experience and a deep understanding of Washington’s political landscape, Ushakov’s involvement is a strategic choice that could prove pivotal in the negotiations.

Sergei Naryshkin

Another alleged member of the negotiations is Sergei Naryshkin, a “top spymaster,” Intelligence Chief, and former KGB colleague.

At the same time, Naryshkin, a longtime Putin confidant, has recently suggested that Ukraine’s neighboring countries consider the possibility of partitioning its territory.

Both Ushakov and Naryshkin were involved in ceasefire talks with Ukraine shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the resulting deals of which were repeatedly broken by Russia.

Kirill Dmitriev

Additionally, the news agency reports that Kirill Dmitriev, a US-sanctioned financier educated at Stanford and Harvard with ties to Putin’s family, could serve as a key unofficial backchannel to Trump’s negotiators.

He currently leads Russia’s Direct Investment Fund and has been instrumental in international financial engagements, including promoting Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V.

Vladimir Medinsky

Other participants from the 2022 Russia-Ukraine negotiations may also join the Russian team. According to a Kremlin-linked source, they will assist in talks with Ukrainian representatives. One potential member is Vladimir Medinsky, a presidential aide.

Like Dmitriev, Medinsky was born in Ukraine. Over his decades-long career in government, he co-authored a history textbook for Russian schools after the invasion, promoting the narrative that the West aims to destabilize Russia.

On February 12, US President Donald Trump announced that he expects to meet Putin, with their first face-to-face meeting likely to take place in Saudi Arabia.