Putin's Envoy Claims War In Ukraine Will End In A Year

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said the war in Ukraine would end in one year from now.

Dmitriev spoke after his meeting with officials from the administration of US President Donald Trump in the United States last weekend. His visit follows the announcement that the summit between Trump and Putin had been postponed.

"We believe that we are on the path to peace and as peace carriers, we need to make it happen," Dmitriev, who is also CEO of Russia's Direct Investment Fund, said at an investment conference in Saudi Arabia.

When asked if peace in Ukraine could be reached in a year, Dmitriev said, "I believe so." While in the US, Dmitriev said Russia and the US were close to achieving a "pattical solution" related to war.

Dmitriev praised the cooperation between the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world's largest natural resource holder and said such cooperation would make the world safer.

"At the moment, people are focused on regional conflicts surrounding Russia, but we don't want this conflict to escalate into a bigger conflict. And for that, we have to do better than we have done, not worse," Dmitriev said.