Russian envoy says a Trump-Putin summit will happen but 'probably at a later date'

Washington, Oct 26 Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, has said that he believes a Trump-Putin summit will happen but "probably at a later date".

Dmitriev will meet US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, US media reported.

The meeting to be held on Saturday comes days after Trump cancelled his plan to meet Putin in Budapest, Hungary, and the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, the two largest Russian oil producers, in a bid to press for a ceasefire deal on Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.

Dmitriev said on social media X that his visit was "planned a while ago based on an invitation from the US side".

The Russian envoy said on CNN on Friday that the sanctions, the first during Trump's second term, would not be a big issue for Russia but lead to higher gasoline prices in the US, reiterating Putin's position that Russia will never yield to pressure.

"The Russia-US dialogue will continue, but it is certainly only possible if Russia's interests are taken into account and treated with respect," he added.

Following a phone call with Putin and a White House closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, Trump urged Russia and Ukraine to "stop where they are" to end their conflict.

On Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, and called for "an immediate ceasefire", adding that the White House was prepared to take further actions if necessary.

Also on Wednesday, Trump confirmed he had cancelled his meeting with Putin in Hungary, saying it "didn't feel right to me".

The US and its allies have imposed multiple rounds of financial and trade sanctions on Russia since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, targeting Russian banks, defense industries and energy exports.

Dmitriev previously met with Witkoff in Washington in April, when the US government temporarily lifted sanctions against the Russian envoy to allow the State Department to grant him a visa.

The Russian envoy shared an image of an in-flight map display on Friday afternoon showing what is presumed to be his passenger plane over the US state of Massachusetts approaching New York, Moscow Times reported.

Dmitriev's visit also coincides with US Congressional interest in reopening dialogue with Russia.

Earlier in October, Florida Congresswoman and Trump ally Anna Paulina Luna said she would meet Dmitriev "later this month" without specifying the agenda.

Last week, Dmitriev proposed a so-called Putin-Trump Tunnel between Alaska and Russia as a "symbol of unity", suggesting Elon Musk's Boring Company could build the $8 billion undersea link in eight years.

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