Russia seeks US sanctions relief for Putin envoy's investment fund

Moscow is discussing the possible lifting of US sanctions against the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) with the administration of Donald Trump, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov has said.

Source: Reuters, citing Russian news agencies

Details: According to Ushakov, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the fund and Putin's special envoy, is actively pushing for the restrictions to be lifted.

"This conversation is going on. It has ⁠been going on for a while. I don't know ​what the outcome will be," Ushakov said.

The New York Times previously reported that the Trump administration was considering lifting sanctions against the fund. According to the newspaper, Russian officials raised the issue during negotiations over the fund's involvement in supplying Russian diesel to the US.

In October, Washington had already temporarily eased sanctions on Russian fuel following an agreement between Trump and Putin to increase diesel supplies to the US and global markets.

Background: Democrats in the US Congress are preparing for a possible investigation into Trump's diesel deal with Putin. They have urged major banks and ports to preserve documents relating to transactions involving Russian fuel and questioned the legality of the arrangements.

Subscribe on Patreon to back our journalism long-term.