‘Biden’s mistakes need to be corrected’ – Putin envoy

The policies of former US President Joe Biden must be reversed to achieve global peace, Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy and a key figure in the Ukraine settlement process, has said.

Dmitriev, who is also CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), took to X on Wednesday to comment on a White House post touting Trump as “the President of PEACE.” The post also listed several world leaders who had called for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Russian official seemingly approved of the message, writing: “World needs peace and security. Biden’s mistakes need to be corrected.”

Trump has frequently described the Ukraine conflict as “Biden’s war,” stressing that he intends to end it and claiming it would never have started had he been president in 2022. Biden also authorized defunding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA.  

Dmitriev has been a key figure in the Ukraine settlement process, welcoming Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff during his visit to Moscow last week. Witkoff later held three-hour talks with Putin, which Moscow praised as “business-like and constructive,” adding that the US had made an “acceptable” offer regarding a potential settlement on Ukraine.

Following the talks, Putin and Trump agreed to hold a summit in the city of Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15. The US president has described the event as a “feel-out meeting,” suggesting that discussions could focus on a potential land swap arrangement between Russia and Ukraine.

On Saturday, however, Dmitriev warned that certain countries interested in prolonging the Ukraine conflict could attempt to sabotage the summit through “provocations and disinformation.”

Numerous Western media outlets have speculated that Trump is determined to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Last month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that “it’s well past time” for the US president to receive the award, which is traditionally handed out in December.

Last week, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev endorsed Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his role in mediating the long-running disputes between their countries.