Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has imposed sanctions on several senior Russian officials, including Kirill Dmitriev, a top economic aide to President Vladimir Putin and a key figure in Moscow’s peace negotiation efforts, reads an RT report.
The measures, announced on Sunday, also target five major Russian publishing houses.
Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, has played a prominent role in efforts to reach a settlement in the ongoing conflict. A Harvard-educated former banker, he previously held talks with officials from former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration about potential peace initiatives.
Dmitriev has repeatedly stressed the importance of dialogue and warned Washington against what he called the “failed confrontational approach” of President Joe Biden. Such policies, he argued, have proven ineffective.
In a statement published on his website, Zelensky accused Dmitriev of “spreading propaganda and channeling Russian investments into strategic sectors of foreign economies.” The Ukrainian leader said the sanctions also respond to Moscow’s recent decision to blacklist several Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko.
Kyiv said it would “share its proposals for new sanctions with relevant partners,” adding that Russia “deserves significantly greater global pressure.”
The new sanctions list also includes Lieutenant General Aleksandr Zorin, a member of Russia’s delegation at the Istanbul peace talks earlier this year. Those talks resulted in agreements on prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of fallen soldiers.
Moscow maintains that it seeks a lasting resolution addressing the root causes of the conflict. Ukraine and its Western allies continue to call for an immediate ceasefire, while Russia insists such a move would only allow Kyiv to regroup and receive additional Western arms.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh last month, Dmitriev expressed optimism that peace could still be achieved within a year.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
