Kirill Dmitriev: The Russian envoy shaping a controversial Ukraine peace plan

Kirill Dmitriev: The Russian envoy shaping a controversial Ukraine peace plan

Kirill Dmitriev, a 50-year-old Russian diplomat and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has emerged as a central figure in a draft peace proposal for Ukraine-one that critics call a "Putin wishlist" demanding territorial concessions and military downsizing from Kyiv. The plan surfaced after Dmitriev spent three days in Miami with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, a key interlocutor in Trump administration diplomacy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has avoided outright rejection of the terms but insists any agreement must ensure "a dignified peace" that respects Ukraine's sovereignty. Dmitriev, a rare blend of financier and diplomat with deep U.S. ties, now faces scrutiny over his role in negotiations that could reshape the conflict's trajectory.

From Kyiv protests to Kremlin influence

Dmitriev's background sets him apart in Moscow's circles. Born in Kyiv to scientist parents-a cell biologist father and geneticist mother-he participated in pro-democracy protests there as a teenager before the Soviet Union's collapse. His early exposure to Ukraine's nationalist identity was evident during a 1990 U.S. exchange program, where he told a local newspaper that "Ukraine had a long history as an independent nation before it became part of the Russian empire."

Educated at Stanford and Harvard, Dmitriev worked for McKinsey in Los Angeles, Prague, and Moscow before leading the U.S.-Russia Investment Fund, designed to ease Russia's transition to a market economy. By 2011, he took helm of RDIF-a fund the U.S. Treasury later called a "slush fund for Putin" and sanctioned in 2022 for alleged kleptocracy. Critics link Dmitriev to Putin's inner circle, including the president's daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, whose tech firm employs his wife, TV presenter Natalia Popova.

A bridge between Trump and Putin

Dmitriev's rapport with the Trump administration traces back to February 2025, when he helped secure the release of an American teacher detained in Russia. "There's a gentleman from Russia, his name is Kirill, and he had a lot to do with this," Witkoff told reporters, praising his role as a "bridge" between the two nations. Their collaboration continued in Saudi Arabia later that year, where Dmitriev joined talks on economic relations amid Russia's thawing diplomatic isolation.

Yet his overtures haven't always succeeded. When Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's top oil firms last month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed Dmitriev as a "Russian propagandist" for claiming the move would spike U.S. fuel prices. On CNN, Dmitriev deflected criticism of Russia's military strikes-even after a Kharkiv kindergarten bombing-asserting, "I'm not a military guy... but the position of [the] Russian military is they only hit military targets."

"We are sure we are on the road to peace, and as peacemakers we need to make it happen."

Kirill Dmitriev, at a Saudi conference in October 2025

From Ukrainian roots to Kremlin loyalty

Dmitriev's shift from Kyiv-born reformist to Putin ally reflects his pragmatic adaptability. In 2003, he critiqued Putin's crackdown on oligarchs in a Vedomosti column, writing, "The world is shrewd enough to know the difference between following the letter of the law and using the law as a tool of influence." By 2010, however, he warned Ukraine of an "economic Holodomor"-a reference to Stalin's 1930s famine-if it distanced itself from Russia.

His commercial ambitions extend beyond diplomacy. Dmitriev has proposed Arctic energy projects with U.S. firms, rare earth mineral partnerships, and even an $8 billion "Putin-Trump" rail tunnel beneath the Bering Strait. He once offered Elon Musk a "small-sized nuclear power plant for a mission to Mars," showcasing his knack for blending geopolitics with grand economic visions.

Sanctioned and scrutinized

Despite his rising profile in Moscow, Dmitriev's reputation has plummeted in Ukraine, where he faces sanctions for alleged crimes against Ukrainians. The Biden administration labeled him a "known Putin ally" in 2022, freezing RDIF assets. Dmitriev, in turn, accuses the Biden era of ignoring Russia's perspective, while crediting Trump's team with averting "World War Three."

As peace talks hang in the balance, Dmitriev's dual role-as both dealmaker and Putin loyalist-places him at the heart of a high-stakes gamble: whether his draft plan can end the war on Moscow's terms, or if it will deepen divisions between Kyiv and the West.