FT: Trump representative held secret meeting with Kremlin officials in St Petersburg

The Financial Times has learned that Rodney Mims Cook Jr, chairman of the US Commission of Fine Arts, undertook a "quiet diplomatic mission" to St Petersburg this summer to meet Russian officials at the request of US President Donald Trump.

Source: The Financial Times, citing sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The FT said Rodney Mims Cook Jr, who is overseeing the controversial White House ballroom construction project, was reportedly issued a diplomatic passport and given "extensive briefings" before attending Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's economic forum in St Petersburg in June.

The US official reportedly met Kremlin representatives there and was accompanied by diplomatic security. Cook Jr is also said to have presented his trip as a "cultural visit", during which he showed Russian officials photographs of his "dacha" (summer house) in Atlanta.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in June that he was "not aware" of a delegation visiting St Petersburg. However, according to two sources, the United States hoped that unconventional envoys such as Cook Jr could "help break the diplomatic deadlock over Russia's war in Ukraine".

One source said Anton Kobyakov, a senior aide to Putin, was among the officials Cook Jr met.

The FT reports that on the opening day of the forum, Cook witnessed a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian oil refinery on the Neva that sent huge plumes of black smoke over the city.

"Too close for comfort," he said.

However, he declined to comment on his meetings with Russian officials, or on whether Trump had asked him to continue that contact and whether he would return soon.

"There are many requests. We're working on that now," he said.

During his presentation at the forum, Cook reportedly conveyed a "good hello from your friend, President Trump" to Putin.

Background:

• It was recently reported that Ukraine halted an intensive campaign of drone strikes on oil tankers using the key Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request made late last month by US Vice President JD Vance.
• Bloomberg also reported that Ukraine had agreed not to strike certain non-Russian oil tankers and Black Sea infrastructure facilities.
• In early July, during the public part of a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump noted that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries constituted an escalation that could help bring the war to an end.

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