Authored by RFE/RL staff via OilPrice,
- Washington is considering lifting sanctions imposed on the Russian Direct Investment Fund in 2022.
- RDIF chief Kirill Dmitriev has become a central figure in negotiations over U.S.-Russia economic relations.
- Critics warn that removing sanctions could benefit Kremlin-linked investments without securing concessions on Ukraine.
Four days after Russia launched its all-out effort to subjugate Ukraine, the US government and other Western allies fired a broadside of financial sanctions aimed at punishing the Kremlin's wallet for the assault.
The Russian Central Bank was prominent.
So was a multibillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund that the Kremlin calls the Russian Direct Investment Fund, or RDIF.
The U.S. Treasury called it "a slush fund for President Vladimir Putin [that] is emblematic of Russia's broader kleptocracy."
After months of dormancy, US negotiators have ramped up efforts to find a negotiated settlement to end Russia's war on Ukraine -- as well as normalize frosty relations between Washington and Moscow.
The peace proposals vary. Many tilt heavily in Russia favor, something that was echoed in Putin's remarks to European leaders earlier this week.
They also include lifting sanctions on the RDIF, whose chief executive, Kirill Dmitriev, is the Kremlin's point person for talks with the Americans.
"This conversation is g
