Special Envoy Vladimir Putin Says US Interested In Investing In Russia

President Vladimir Putin and Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev. (President of Russia)

JAKARTA - Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) as well as special envoy to the Russian President for economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, stated that US business actors showed interest in returning to business in Russia.

In an interview with Russian Channel One television channel, when asked if Dmitriev thought the US business world was ready to return to the Russian market, he replied, "Yes, of course."

First, there are currently 150 American companies operating here, 70 percent of whom have been in Russia for 25 years and have never left. Despite political pressure, they continue to run business successfully in Russia," Dmitriev said, as reported by ANTARA.

"Secondly, we did receive a lot of demand, including from US companies in the energy sector and various other industries," Dmitriev continued.

He also stressed that the Russian government remains committed to prioritizing domestic companies and building strategic partnerships with foreign partners.

"I believe that focusing on joint partnerships is the most appropriate approach to strengthening cooperation with US business actors who are really interested in operating in Russia," Dmitriev said.

Meanwhile earlier this week, Dmitriev told reporters that on Wednesday and Thursday he had held meetings in Washington with key officials of the administration of US President Donald Trump, on direct instructions from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Dmitriev, in the talks they discussed restoring relations between Russia and the United States, including economic cooperation and the possibility of restarting direct flights between the two countries.