Dmitriev deserves reinstatement of US sanctions – Ukrainian ambassador

Exclusive

The activities of Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev in the United States are aimed at enabling Russia to continue its war against Ukraine and kill even more people. Therefore, he deserves the reinstatement and strengthening of U.S. sanctions against him.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olga Stefanishyna said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"As for the reasons behind Kirill Dmitriev's presence in the United States, personal sanctions against this individual should be reinstated and strengthened. His actions and public statements are designed to buy time, distract attention from ending the war, and attract additional funding for Russian aggression and its sponsors," the ambassador said.

She stressed that the Kremlin's propaganda, echoed by the Russian envoy, once again reveals its true nature – blatant lies and cynicism.

"Amid the ongoing shelling of Ukraine, witnessed by the entire world in real time, Dmitriev's claims that strikes on [Ukraine's] energy infrastructure have stopped should serve as a real 'red flag.' For years, Dmitriev has provided resource support to Putin's criminal regime and continues to do so today," Stefanishyna said.

Read also: Kremlin seeking to use Dmitriev’s visit to U.S. to spread its narratives among Americans – ISW

In this context, she said that it was time to consider reinstating sanctions against Dmitriev, "as his activities are aimed at ensuring that Russia's war machine can continue killing more people in Ukraine."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that Putin's envoy Dmitriev is a Russian propagandist who misrepresents the impact of sanctions on Russia's economy.

In April, the U.S. government temporarily lifted sanctions against Dmitriev to allow the State Department to issue him a visa for entry into the United States.