WASHINGTON, April 3, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Russia's top economic negotiator said Thursday that he was in Washington for talks on improving ties, the highest-level visit by a Kremlin official to the United States since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, said he was "holding meetings in Washington with representatives of President Donald Trump's administration", without elaborating.

US media reported that Dmitriev arrived Wednesday and was expected to meet with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, though his itinerary has not been made public.

The talks come as Trump pushes for warmer ties with Moscow, reaching out to President Vladimir Putin and holding direct talks with Russian officials in the hope of brokering a ceasefire in the three-year Ukraine war.

"The dialog between Russia and the United States, which is crucial for the entire world, was completely destroyed under the Biden administration," Dmitriev wrote on Telegram, announcing the visit.

"Restoring dialogue is not an easy process, and it's gradual. But every meeting, every frank conversation allows us to move forward," he added.

Russia is hoping Washington will lift massive sanctions on its economy as part of a peace settlement, including those targeting its state-owned agricultural lender.

Dmitriev, who was himself sanctioned by the United States, was allowed to visit only after the restrictions on him were temporarily eased, US media reported.

Senior Russian diplomat Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday that recent contacts had not yet yielded a "breakthrough".

"Step by step, slowly, we are beginning to move, I hope, towards normality," he told Russia's International Life magazine.