Trump Ballroom Commissioner Held Diplomatic Talks With Kremlin Officials – FT
White House officials reportedly “hoped unlikely envoys” such as Rodney Mims Cook Jr. could “help break the diplomatic deadlock” in Ukraine peace talks.
Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the head of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, engaged in private diplomatic discussions with Kremlin officials while in Russia for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum this summer, according to the Financial Times. Cook, who made headlines in June as the first U.S. official to attend the forum since 2017, was a keynote speaker at a session titled "Russia-U.S.: A Dialogue of Cultures."
The newspaper cited anonymous sources, stating that Cook met with Anton Kobyakov, a senior aide to President Vladimir Putin. While the specifics of their conversation remain undisclosed, White House officials reportedly hoped Cook's presence could aid in breaking the diplomatic deadlock in Ukraine peace talks. Kobyakov, who heads the SPIEF organizing committee, is not known for prior involvement in Ukraine peace negotiations, which have been primarily led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
Written by urgent.news from The Moscow Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
