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The Head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev has become a prominent figure in the Kremlin's outreach to the US President Donald Trump administration.
Currently, the US is awaiting Dmitriev to report to Russian President Vladimir Putin before taking any next steps in Ukraine peace talks, Bloomberg reported citing a person familiar with the discussions.
Earlier this week, Dmitriev met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. On April 2 and 3, he also met with US officials in Washington on behalf of Putin.
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Dmitriev also lauded the Trump administration for its constructive and respectful dialogue with Russia and said the two nations plan to restore and deepen their ties.
He was also involved in early US-Russian negotiations which took place in Riyadh in February.
Who is Kirill Dmitriev?
The 49-year-old Kirill Dmitriev was appointed by Russian President Putin as special envoy for economic affairs in an attempt to interest Washington in joint economic ventures in return for a favorable peace deal.
Dmitriev got his degree from the US universities and has served in the American business world.
Born in Kyiv in 1975 in Soviet Ukraine, Dmitriev's education and professional debut makes him a perfect person for an up-and-coming member of Russia's technocratic elite.
He was one of the first Soviet exchange students who travelled to the US, where he studied at Fооthill College in California, at the age of 14.
He went on to graduate with honors from an economics program at Stanford University and received his MBA at Harvard.
Friend of Putin's daughter?
Dmitriev got entry in Russia's inner circles with the help of his wife Natalia Popova and a business associate of Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova, according to Kyiv Independent.
Popova works as Tikhonova's deputy at her Innopraktika fund, where Dmitriev sits on the board of trustees.
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Head of Russia's 'slush fund'
He was then appointed CEO of the new Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in 2011.
RDIF is a state-controlled fund launched to foster partnerships with foreign investors and invest in Russian companies.
During Dmitriev's tenure, the RDIF oversaw $40 billion in investment across 100 deals, building relationships with funds from France, Italy, Japan, China, and the Gulf states.
"Recently designated Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle of cronies have long relied on RDIF and Dmitriev to raise funds abroad, including in the United States," the US Treasury Department said.
It added, "While officially a sovereign wealth fund, RDIF is widely considered a slush fund for President Vladimir Putin and is emblematic of Russia's broader kleptocracy."
(With inputs from agencies)