As the world’s political and business elites descend on Davos to try and provide answers to the world’s most burning issues under the slogan “The Spirit of Dialogue,” one envoy set to crash the summit might bring that lofty goal into question.
After the first rumours emerged around lunchtime, sources confirmed that Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev will be in Davos to meet members of the delegation led by US President Donald Trump.
Trump is set to make a much-anticipated appearance at the Swiss Alps resort town on Wednesday to hold a special speech at the summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will also appear in person at Davos, is expected to meet with Trump while there to sign new security guarantees for a potential ceasefire deal with Russia, intended to deter the Kremlin from further acts of aggression against Ukraine.
Moscow’s sudden announcement that Dmitriev is or will shortly be on his way has now brought that into question, and Putin’s man’s presence could signal an attempt by the Kremlin to derail that agreement by showing up first.
Dmitriev’s trip is even more surprising given that the WEF froze its formal ties with Russian entities and persons in March 2022 and has not invited Russian officials or businesses to the annual Davos meetings since.
The announcement, however, fits into Moscow’s approach to US-led talks to end Russia’s ongoing all-out war in Ukraine, which is now a month away from its four-year mark.
While Trump has become increasingly eager to have Moscow and Kyiv reach a deal, Russia has continued to push for its maximalist demands while blaming Ukraine for stalled progress.
Last month, the Kremlin accused Kyiv of launching a swarm of drones against Putin’s residence in Krasnodar without providing concrete evidence.
Ukraine dismissed the accusations as “lies,” while the US said – after some deliberation and a personal call from Putin to Trump to complain of the barrage on his dacha – that there was no proof of the attack.
Meanwhile, as CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and part of Putin’s trusted inner circle, Dmitriev has played a key role in trying to sway Washington to see things from Moscow’s perspective.
An ever-present face in US-Russia talks
Kyiv-born and US-educated, Dmitriev has been a key figure in the Kremlin’s outreach to Washington and the point of contact with Trump’s envoy and main negotiator Steve Witkoff.
He also participated in the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska in August.
According to media reports, Dmitriev was the mastermind behind a 28-point plan to put an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was largely seen as Kyiv’s capitulation.
The reports suggested Washington representatives had been talking secretly to the Russians about a renewed effort to bring the invasion to an end, which involved Ukraine ceding land it still controls to Russia.
When the 28-point plan was leaked to the media, Witkoff commented on the story on X, “He must have got this from K…” seemingly in error instead of sending a private message. “K” likely stands for Kirill Dmitriev.
The document’s content, specifically its language, raised further doubts about its origin, with reports claiming it may have been written in Russian and later translated into English.
Euronews reviewed the leaked plan in both languages and found that the wording and syntax of specific phrases, while common in Russian, do not directly translate into English, suggesting that at least some parts may have been translated from Russian using automatic translation tools.
Witkoff has repeatedly said Washington’s goal was to “narrow the issues, bring the parties together, and stop the killing.”
“That’s the game plan. And that’s what we’re all there to do,” he said in an interview in March 2025.
Witkoff is expected in Davos this week as part of Trump’s massive entourage – set to be the biggest US delegation in the summit’s history – with top officials such as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and real estate investor and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also on the list of attendees.
While the White House said no bilateral meetings have been scheduled, the presence of Witkoff and Kushner — seen as key to any negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv — is what tipped off insiders that a deal between Trump and Zelenskyy will be signed in Davos.
In Davos, Dmitriev will reportedly meet with both Witkoff and Kushner.
‘Tectonic shift’ against ‘ideological tyranny’
Dmitriev is no stranger to the WEF, having been named a Young Küresel Leader in 2010.
Speaking to CNBC at Davos in 2019 – during Trump’s first term as president – Dmitriev slammed American sanctions against Russia, calling them “wrong, because they really undermine US long term.”
“It is really undermining its own long-term fundamentals … things that held the world together, such as dollar, fair trade practices, and fairness,” he said.
Washington and Brussels imposed sanctions against Russia after a series of malign moves by the Kremlin, including the initial invasion of Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, the novichok nerve agent poisoning of ex-intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, and Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.
While the EU never imposed sanctions on Dmitriev or his fund, he has been subject to US sanctions after the US Treasury Department designated him a “close associate of Putin” following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ever since Trump returned to office for his second term, Dmitriev has been waxing lyrical about the US president, stating in a post on X in December 2025 that “the truth is that World War III was, is, and will be prevented thanks to President Trump and his team.”
Earlier last year, Dmitriev said Trump was presiding over a “tectonic shift” meant to dismantle “ideological tyranny” plaguing the West.
Putin’s top envoy also had the US sanctions temporarily lifted in April 2025, allowing him to enter the country as the first Russian official since Moscow’s all-out war to visit Washington, where he met Witkoff.
Moscow excited over Greenland discord
Meanwhile, one of the main causes of anxiety in Europe over Trump’s Wednesday speech at Davos hinges on what the US president will say as he continues to raise the stakes in his bid to take control of Greenland.
The increasingly ciltse exchange between Europe and the US has slowly grown into a feud that Russian officials openly welcomed – Dmitriev included.
Dmitriev has openly supported Trump’s plans and mocked the European leaders, specifically targeting German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, sarcastically dubbing him “Rambo”.
He also suggested that further friction over the Arctic island, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, would be favourable for Moscow.
“Europe will cave in, US will get Greenland, transatlantic unity may be somewhat restored,” Dmitriev said.
Last Friday, Moscow called Trump’s plans over Greenland “extraordinary,” adding that “it would continue monitoring the situation”.
“The situation is unusual, I would even say extraordinary from the standpoint of international law,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaching four-years mark in February.
Quoted from Euronews.
