The news was reported by the French newspaper Le Monde, citing a “well-informed source”.
The paper said Dmitriev was seen on the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, but the Elysee Palace denied his arrival. Dmitriev did not mention the visit on social networks.
Dmitriev is a key figure in the Kremlin’s negotiating team with the US. Leaked tapes suggest he was the source of the leak of the 28-point peace plan in November, a document that recast Russia’s war aims as peace proposals. The tapes also show that the US special envoy for Russia, Steve Witkoff, advised Dmitriev and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on how to present the draft to appeal to Trump, which Dmitriev called inaccurate.
Witkoff, along with Jared Kushner, was in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Kiev. After the talks, he said the guarantees were “largely finalised”, with additional details on the deployment of troops in post-war Ukraine, while Germany and Italy have so far refused to deploy troops.
Although Dmitriev’s visit to Paris has not been confirmed, the report raised questions about sanctions and visa rules. Dmitriev, born in Kiev, is a Russian citizen without foreign passports, meaning he would need a visa to enter the EU.
His position does not automatically grant him a diplomatic passport, although Moscow may grant him another type of passport. Members of his family held American passports, but there is no evidence that he was ever an American citizen. Dmitriev is under Western sanctions for his role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but previous visits to the US show that sanctions do not mean an automatic entry ban.
(Vijesti.ba)
