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Trump Envoy Has Financial Ties With Former Adviser to Putin's 'Money Man' Now Leading Kremlin Peace Talks
Steve Witkoff’s real-estate empire is bankrolled by a former adviser to Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a key architect of Moscow’s Ukraine negotiations
...
The Envoy who Walked in With Two Hidden Conflicts
Byline Times can reveal that Steve Witkoff entered this meeting [at the Faena Miami Beach hotel on the weekend of 25 October] carrying two conflicts of interest: his real estate empire has been financed, in part, by a former adviser to President Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man on money and investment; and several of his Florida and New York developments have drawn on investment vehicles linked to post-Soviet networks now intertwined with Russia’s political elite.
These financial entanglements starkly contradict the narrative that Witkoff’s apparent willingness to support Moscow’s position stems from inexperience. Long before he picked up the phone to Kremlin officials, he was already moving through business circles shaped by the same interests he was now claiming to mediate.
In fact, as long ago as 2011, the Kremlin’s sovereign investment fund had recruited a Wall Street billionaire close to Trump as an adviser – and the same financier’s firm later became one of Jared Kushner’s biggest lenders, providing hundreds of millions of dollars for prime New York properties. Years before the current “peace plan” emerged, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner and a Kremlin-backed fund were already moving in a shared financial orbit.
Inside the Faena Meeting and the 28-Point ‘Peace’ Plan
At the Faena in October, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) – the Kremlin’s sovereign investment vehicle – was joined by President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and, Jared Kushner. The choice of venue was doubtless a good one – it is a self-proclaimed “exclusive sanctuary”, defined by “decadent design, luxe amenities, and legendary hospitality.”
It also happens to be co-owned by a close business associate of Steve Witkoff’s: the Ukrainian-born, British and American citizen billionaire Len Blavatnik, whose fortune grew out of post-Soviet deals with one of Vladimir Putin’s closest oligarch allies. Blavatnik was sanctioned by the Ukrainian Government in 2023.
https://bylinetimes.com/2025/12/01/trump-envoy-has-financial-ties-with-former-adviser-to-putins-money-man-now-leading-kremlin-peace-talks/
...
The Envoy who Walked in With Two Hidden Conflicts
Byline Times can reveal that Steve Witkoff entered this meeting [at the Faena Miami Beach hotel on the weekend of 25 October] carrying two conflicts of interest: his real estate empire has been financed, in part, by a former adviser to President Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man on money and investment; and several of his Florida and New York developments have drawn on investment vehicles linked to post-Soviet networks now intertwined with Russia’s political elite.
These financial entanglements starkly contradict the narrative that Witkoff’s apparent willingness to support Moscow’s position stems from inexperience. Long before he picked up the phone to Kremlin officials, he was already moving through business circles shaped by the same interests he was now claiming to mediate.
In fact, as long ago as 2011, the Kremlin’s sovereign investment fund had recruited a Wall Street billionaire close to Trump as an adviser – and the same financier’s firm later became one of Jared Kushner’s biggest lenders, providing hundreds of millions of dollars for prime New York properties. Years before the current “peace plan” emerged, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner and a Kremlin-backed fund were already moving in a shared financial orbit.
Inside the Faena Meeting and the 28-Point ‘Peace’ Plan
At the Faena in October, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) – the Kremlin’s sovereign investment vehicle – was joined by President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and, Jared Kushner. The choice of venue was doubtless a good one – it is a self-proclaimed “exclusive sanctuary”, defined by “decadent design, luxe amenities, and legendary hospitality.”
It also happens to be co-owned by a close business associate of Steve Witkoff’s: the Ukrainian-born, British and American citizen billionaire Len Blavatnik, whose fortune grew out of post-Soviet deals with one of Vladimir Putin’s closest oligarch allies. Blavatnik was sanctioned by the Ukrainian Government in 2023.
https://bylinetimes.com/2025/12/01/trump-envoy-has-financial-ties-with-former-adviser-to-putins-money-man-now-leading-kremlin-peace-talks/
The article explores the details of the entanglements between Witkoff, the Russia oligarchy and the Trump clan, and joins many dots.
X-Posted in Editorials & Other Articles - https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016418924
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