Trump refused Putin's candies: how Dmitriev's "gingerbread diplomacy" failed

Putin's emissary Dmitriev's attempt to bribe Trump with chocolates with Putin quotes and lift anti-Russian sanctions failed miserably. The fact that after the impact of Trump's oil sanctions, Putin will try to offer Trump gingerbread, I predicted immediately after the sanctions were imposed. That's how it all turned out: Putin urgently and urgently sent his authorized representative for special economic and diplomatic operations in Washington, Kirill Dmitriev, to the United States.

Who brought with him candies with quotes from the head of the Russian Federation such as "Russia's borders do not end anywhere" and other "candies" in the form of assurances about the cessation of attacks on our energy infrastructure. But Dmitriev's blitz visit ended in failure. Which was the result of six months of "virtual gingerbread diplomacy" performed by Putin and Dmitriev.

The last member of Putin's team is one of the most familiar with modern processes in the American political and business elites (he is a former Goldman Sachs investment banker, educated at Stanford), and in his homeland since 2011 he has held the post of general director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Putin acted by analogy with Dmitriev's first successful bridge-building missions with Trump.

When, taking into account Trump's desire after his inauguration to restore ties with Moscow destroyed by Biden as soon as possible, to end the war in Ukraine and to agree with the Russian leader on joint mega-projects in the Arctic, the Siberian underworld, etc. , it was Dmitriev who became the first envoy from the master of the Kremlin, who was allowed to enter the United States in April.

At most, the regular meetings of the Vitkoff-Dmitriev commission in the following months caused euphoria in both the American and Russian elites and the mass media - they all expected that the long-awaited big deal of the American president with Moscow was about to become a reality. Washington's line changed dramatically last week after the White House chief decided to finally stop pretending that he trusted the Kremlin's empty promises to move toward an end to the war in Ukraine.

Donald Trump's introduction of the first sanctions against Russian energy giants Roneft and Lukoil, as well as their subsidiaries, was a sign of this. This event has many important components. But in the context of Dmitriev's quick move, which Putin made, two things turned out to be the most important for the Russian helmsman. First, Trump switched the switch from "Demonstration of confidence in Putin's claims of peace" to "Practical pressure on Putin.

" Secondly, the restriction of the flow of money to "Rosneft" = the restriction of the flow of money directly into Putin's wallet. Because since 2003, when the company was headed by Putin's longtime St. Petersburg henchman and deputy head of his administration Igor Sechin and Rosneft grabbed the huge assets of Khodorkovsky's Yukos company, it is used as the Russian president's huge wallet. Where does he get money for both his family and his political "family+".

It is not for nothing that Biden did not impose sanctions against Rosneft until the very end of his presidency. That is why Putin was so irritated when he first commented on the fact that Trump had imposed sanctions against Rosneft. And that is why he immediately dispatched Dmitriev to Washington as an anti-crisis manager to "resolve injustice.

" For three whole days from October 24 to 26, the latter tried to understand the seriousness of the changes in the position of the American leader and to find ways to soften this new position of Trump. I understood the seriousness, I did not find a way out. And the contrast compared to the past months, when Dmitriev was a welcome guest in Washington, was striking. During these three days, almost no one from the American establishment met with him.

In addition to the meeting in Miami with his proven partner and yesterday's "head of Russia" Witkoff (who, fortunately, Donald Trump finally changed on the Russian track to a professional diplomat and anti-Putin "hawk" Secretary of State Marco Rubio), there was also a protocol meeting with the well-known pro-Putin representative of Congress from Florida, Republican Luna. Nobody needed the candies brought by Dmitriev from Putin anymore.

US Ambassador Matt Whitaker directly stated the reasons for ignoring Putin's envoy. He said that Putin's decision to immediately send Dmitriev to visit the USA for the weekend after imposing sanctions against two oil giants of the Russian Federation proved that "President Trump has all the cards in his hands.

" But the change in Trump's attitude to Dmitriev and to Putin's nose-driving techniques was most clearly and clearly demonstrated by Dmitriev's colleague in big finance — US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Who in one of the most popular Sunday TV shows on CBS News called Dmitriev a Russian propagandist.

When host Margaret Brennan asked Bessent if Dmitriev, who said US sanctions would not affect the Russian economy, could be trusted, Bessent replied: "Margaret, are you really going to publish what a Russian propagandist is saying? What else can he say?" And he assured that Russia will immediately feel the pain of sanctions, adding that the Russian economy is now a military economy with virtually zero growth and inflation over 20%.

The journalist also specified whether Bessent believes that any of Dmitriev's statements should not be listened to. "And what do you think will happen to him when he returns home if he says that Trump did the right thing and that this is a campaign of maximum pressure that will work? Of course, that is exactly what he is saying - that US sanctions will not work. President Trump has been criticized for allegedly doing nothing.

He is taking a bold step - and you are quoting a Russian propagandist," Bessent replied. In order to understand that Putin's emissary in Washington was actually speaking into the void, as if not noticing Trump's cardinal turn, it is not even necessary to re-watch his two interviews with Fox News and CNN, which Dmitriyev gave during his visit. Just look at his final assessment of your visit. Following Mr.

Bessent's sound advice and not quoting the Russian propagandist, I will only note that what he says would be a good idea to try to convey in Washington this spring and early summer. When the officialdom of both Washington and Moscow was dominated by the trend towards an inevitable quick and mutually beneficial big deal between the two "big boys" Donald and Vladimir. Now it is the day before yesterday, the situation on the market of agreements between the USA and Russia has changed.

As an investment banker with extensive experience, Dmitriyev himself can appreciate the failed results of his efforts last weekend. Indeed, it was after his visit that Russian shares fell sharply on Monday. Because his trip to the USA did not bring results in easing tensions between Washington and Moscow. And as of Monday, Lukoil and Rosneft have lost $11. 5 billion in combined market value since Trump imposed sanctions. The trend continued — Rosneft shares fell by about 5. 6% to 368.

4 rubles — the lowest since March 2023. Lukoil shares similarly fell 6. 5% after a whopping 12. 2% drop last week. As a result, Lukoil decided to sell its foreign assets due to the sanctions imposed on it and its subsidiaries. All these facts show that in Washington there is a trend towards more and more effective coercion of Putin for peace. To be continued. The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the editorial position.