The White House is quietly easing tensions with Russia by lifting travel sanctions on a key adviser to Vladimir Putin, while imposing biting trade tariffs on 185 countries. The move comes as President Donald Trump seeks to establish a new business relationship with Russia, despite launching a trade war against US allies.
Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s chief financial officer, visited Washington for talks with Trump, marking the first high-level meeting since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago. The visit was seen as an attempt by Trump to build bridges with Russia and end the conflict in Ukraine.
However, Trump’s efforts are being hindered by his own administration’s contradictions. He recently laid into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of sabotaging a long-delayed agreement that would give the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. The proposed deal has been widely criticized as a “deal” that no Ukrainian president could ever agree to.
The draconian conditions of the deal, which include veto power over the exploitation of assets and payment of reparations to the US, have sparked concerns that Trump is attempting to plunder Ukraine’s resources. Experts say that Putin’s true intentions remain unchanged, with his primary goal being to lock in control of captured eastern regions and crush Ukraine’s aspirations for assimilation with the West.
Trump has consistently claimed that he wants to end the killing in Ukraine, but his priorities are increasingly seen as secondary to his own business interests. The White House’s diplomatic efforts have been criticized for their lack of nuance, with experts warning that Putin is using a classic tactic of “talking and fighting at the same time” to drag out the peace process.
As tensions continue to escalate, the US military’s top commander in Europe has described Russia as a “chronic threat” and “growing threat willing to use military force to achieve its geopolitical goals.” The move by Trump to ease sanctions on Putin’s adviser raises questions about his true intentions and whether he is prioritizing diplomacy or self-interest.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/04/europe/trump-dmitriev-russia-intl-latam/index.html