According to a report dated August 18th by the British 'Financial Times', American officials hope to use unexpected negotiators to achieve breakthroughs in negotiations regarding Ukraine issues, such as Rodney Cook, the Chairman of the American Fine Arts Council.
Cook led the American delegation to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which took place from June 3rd to 6th.
Reports say: “The United States hopes that negotiators who are unexpected, like Cook, can help break the diplomatic deadlock over the Ukraine issue.” “The United States ‘will continue to play a constructive role in discussions with both sides, striving to end the conflict’. Trump is ‘optimistic’ about the possibility of signing a peace agreement.”
Rodney Cook
Cook is an American architect and real estate developer. After being nominated by Trump to serve as CFA chairman, he led the approval process for the expansion plan of the White House banquet hall and the proposed giant "Triumph Gate" monument.
Before his trip to Russia, Cook received a diplomatic passport and a detailed briefing. This is the first time since 2018 that an American official has attended this international event. Previously, due to arrests of American businessmen in Russia, the US imposed a boycott of the forum the following year, and has continued to refuse to participate since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The next day, during a Q&A session attended by Putin, Cook conveyed “the sincere greetings of your friend President Trump” and added, “There are many ideas to be discussed between our two capitals over the coming week.”
Putin thanked Cook, saying that he “sent the puck back to Trump.” Cook said that he obtained a puck from a friend and placed it on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office of the White House, “which greatly pleased President Trump.” “So, the message was delivered,” he said.
Sources close to the matter added that among the Russian high-ranking officials whom Cook met during his visit to Russia was Anton Kobyakov, a senior aide to Putin.
It is worth mentioning that, according to Russian media reports, Kobyakov stated on June 6 at the 29th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum that the United States is attempting to withdraw from negotiations regarding Ukraine. "U.S. Secretary of State Rubio publicly said ‘we see no point in it’. This is understandable: The United States initiated the conflict and involved everyone, yet now they pretend to be mediators."
Kobiyakov pointed out that two days ago, the US Congress suggested strengthening sanctions against Russia, precisely because they realized that the outcome of the special military actions would be beneficial to Russia. “Everything is against them, and beneficial to us. What do they need to do now? They need to create as many difficulties for us as possible.”
As a Russian cultural enthusiast, Kook described this trip as a "cultural visit."
In a roundtable discussion titled "Russia-US: Cultural Dialogue," Cook showed photos of his "countryside villa" in Atlanta, describing its architectural style as "a Russian wooden folk-style that has touched my heart for decades." He then gave a lengthy presentation, recounting the many Russian historical churches, public buildings, and rural houses he had helped to restore since his first visit to Russia in the 1990s.
He admitted to the Financial Times that he had met with leaders of many cultural institutions in Russia. Cook described this roundtable meeting, which featured many old friends (some of whom were subject to US sanctions), as “a grand reunion,” and emphasized that “the personal relationships among us are obvious.”
At the end of his statement, Cook mentioned the war in Ukraine. He said, "My children are no longer interested in this. We must educate them to understand this. But we must achieve peace in order to reach these goals... Please help us do this."
However, there are different opinions within the U.S. government regarding Cook's visit. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio publicly stated in June this year that he had no knowledge of the delegation headed to Saint Petersburg. Another U.S. official claimed that Cook attended as the chairman of CFA, with the aim of deepening bilateral cultural relations.
Regarding his discussions with Russian officials, whether Trump instructed him to carry out these contacts, and whether he will visit Russia again in the near future, Cook did not comment. “There are many invitations. We are processing them,” he said.
Cook said that during his stay in St. Petersburg, he asked a 150-member symphony orchestra to privately perform the Soviet composer Shostakovich's "Seventh Symphony" (also known as the "Leningrad Symphony"), which was composed during World War II when Nazi Germany besieged Leningrad.
Cook told Putin that culture and music helped Saint Petersburg survive the war. He said that if there had been such music during the American Civil War when the Confederate forces captured Atlanta, his hometown might have been spared destruction. Cook said his statement received applause from the audience.
On August 14 local time, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that a plan to cease military contact lines in Ukraine is unacceptable. He noted that a ceasefire must be based on long-term, reliable, and stable solutions.
Lavrov stated that there are increasingly more voices from various parties calling for an immediate ceasefire along the combat lines, but this path is not feasible. Military operations should only be stopped after a long-term, reliable, and stable solution has been reached.
Lavrov also said that Russian President Putin is willing to meet with U.S. President's Special Envoy Witckow and President's Son-in-law Kushner again, “but the question is what they will bring with them.”
