Overview
- Scott Bessent rejected Kirill Dmitriev's claim that fresh U.S. measures will not hurt Russia, calling the Putin representative a Russian propagandist in a CBS News interview.
- Bessent said the impact is immediate, asserting that India has fully stopped buying Russian oil, some Chinese refineries have halted, growth is near zero, and inflation exceeds 20 percent.
- The Institute for the Study of War assessed that the Kremlin is leveraging Dmitriev's U.S. trip to inject Kremlin narratives into American media and policy debates.
- Dmitriev traveled to the United States on October 24 for official talks, later saying he conveyed Putin's call for constructive dialogue and relayed information about reported Burevestnik missile tests.
- The Treasury announced sanctions on October 22 targeting Rosneft and Lukoil to cut oil income that funds Russia's war, with U.S. officials describing the pressure as intended to move Moscow toward negotiations.