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Putin’s Envoys Reportedly Clash During February US Talks in Saudi Arabia
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Amira Barkhush")
A delegation sent by Vladimir Putin to meet with US officials in Saudi Arabia reportedly clashed at the negotiating table, according to Agentstvo, citing a source familiar with the situation.
According to the news outlet, before the talks in Riyadh on February 18, Putin told Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the Russian delegation would include just two people—Lavrov himself and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. However, after that conversation, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, met with Putin and requested to join the negotiations. The source says Putin agreed, but never informed Lavrov.
The source added that Lavrov practically kicked Dmitriev out of the meeting room—despite the Kremlin having included him in the delegation alongside Ushakov.
“If he [Dmitriev] wants to take part, then Vladimir Vladimirovich can tell me that himself,” Lavrov reportedly said.
Eventually, Dmitriev allegedly managed to take a seat at the negotiating table. During a technical break, Lavrov stepped out of the room, and when he returned, he found Dmitriev already seated, the source said.
“The Americans were also coming back in, so it was awkward for Lavrov to make a scene. Dmitriev asked, ‘Just let me sit here for at least 15 minutes,’” the source recounted.
On February 18, senior diplomats from the United States and Russia met in Saudi Arabia to discuss restoring ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.
On April 3, Dmitriev said that Russia may be open to certain security guarantees for Ukraine. At the same time, he said that “Ukraine joining NATO, as our president [Putin] said, is not at all possible.”
