US, Russia make 'significant progress' towards Ukraine ceasefire deal, Kremlin negotiator claims

The United States and Russia have made "significant progress" towards a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said on April 3 following talks with officials at the White House.

"Significant progress has been made on the ceasefire agreement in Ukraine," Dmitriev reported, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

Dmitriev, who heads the state-controlled Russian Direct Investment Fund, met with U.S. officials in Washington on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 2 and 3.

Dmitriev praised the administration under U.S. President Donald Trump for its constructive and respectful dialogue with Russia and said the two nations plan to restore and deepen their ties, including with further economic cooperation.

American businesses are prepared to return to Russia and fill the vacancies left after European companies withdrew in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Dmitriev said.

"U.S. companies are ready to occupy the niches left by European companies that left the Russian Federation," TASS reported.

The two countries are also discussing restoring direct flights.

Dmitriev did not disclose any details related to a potential ceasefire agreement, but said the Trump administration "is listening to the position of the Russian Federation" and will determine the date for the next round of negotiations "in the near future."

President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 3 acknowledged that U.S. and Russian officials were holding private conversations on the possibility of a full ceasefire in Ukraine. Kyiv has said for weeks that it is ready to begin a complete 30-day ceasefire, in line with a proposal from Washington, as long as Russia accepts the same terms.

Russia has so far refused, only agreeing to partial ceasefires on energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea — in exchange for restored access to international markets.

"(I)n Saudi Arabia, you know, we agreed to an unconditional ceasefire," Zelensky said.

"Russia has not agreed to it yet, we see that. Although we know that there are conversations between Americans and Russians on this topic. There are non-public conversations."

Dmitriev played a role in backchannel diplomacy between Moscow and Trump when he was first elected in 2016. The official was then appointed by Putin as his representative for foreign economic relations and was involved in early U.S.-Russian negotiations in Riyadh in February.

Russia was notably excluded from the sweeping tariffs the Trump administration unveiled on April 3.