On August 18th, the British 'Financial Times' reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the United States sought to break through the diplomatic deadlock over the Ukraine issue by using unexpected negotiators such as CFA Rodney Cook.
This report quickly sparked reactions from all sides.
Ukrainian media shared reports, emphasizing that Cook held "secret talks" with the Russian side, and warned that Ukraine has not seen any signs of Russia preparing to end the conflict.
The Russian side publicly denied that there was any classified information in the exchanges between Cook and Russian representatives. Russian experts believe that this report is intended to disrupt potential peace talks between Russia and the United States, as both Ukraine and Europe have expressed opposition to separate contacts between the US and Russia.
American public opinion is divided, with some media outlets criticizing Cook. However, Cook himself stated in an interview that the response from the U.S. government and professionals was very positive. He emphasized that his mission here was to carry out “soft diplomacy.”
Rodney Cook, RIA Novosti
In June this year, Cook led a delegation to the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. On August 18, the Financial Times published an article titled "Officials Responsible for the Trump White House Banquet Hall Project Had Quiet Private Talks with the Kremlin."
According to sources familiar with the matter, Cook held talks with Kremlin officials in Russia this summer as part of a low-key diplomatic mission.
According to reports, Cook obtained a diplomatic passport and detailed information briefing before his trip to Russia. This is the first time since 2018 that an American official has attended this international event. Previously, due to the arrest 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 Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
In a Q&A session attended by Russian President Putin, Cook conveyed "the sincere regards of your friend President Trump," and added, "There are many ideas that can be discussed between our two capitals in the coming week."
What happened in June, why must it be brought up again at this time?
According to the Russian newspaper Aif.ru, Dmitri Suslov, deputy director of the Center for European and International Studies at the Higher Economic University of Russia, believes that the purpose of such reports is to create obstacles in negotiations.
He pointed out that the Financial Times represents the interests of the Atlantic camp—especially Britain—and is also closely associated with American establishment figures. The report “aims to emphasize that the (U.S. President) Trump administration is bypassing Europe and Ukraine, and appears to still be in secret negotiations with Russia.” “This could lead to doubts among Europeans, and the U.S. government would face dual pressure from Europe and congressional hawks.”
Previously, both Ukraine and Europe have clearly stated their opposition to any separate negotiations between the United States and Russia. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has emphasized that Ukraine will never accept any peace agreements that do not involve Ukraine or are reached behind its back. According to reports cited by The New York Times, France, Germany, and the UK are working together to develop a framework for future negotiations, out of concern that they might be excluded from the talks aimed at resolving the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
Susslov said, "If U.S. President's Special Envoy Wittkev and Trump's son-in-law Kushner visit Moscow, the negotiation process is likely to resume, and such circumstances will undoubtedly make the negotiations more complex."
On August 8, the Tass agency quoted sources as saying that Vitkovskiy and Kushner may visit Russia and Ukraine within the next 7 to 10 days. On August 18, Usachev stated that a detailed study is needed regarding Vitkovskiy and Kushner's visits to Russia. "There is constant press inquiry about this trip, as if it were relatives from Kaluga Oblast of Russia coming to Moscow. This is a serious international meeting that requires preparation and coordination."
Ushakov pointed out that there is ‘no progress’ in this delegation plan. Only when the delegation plan involving representatives from the United States shows some signs of progress will Russia announce it publicly.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated on August 14 that Putin is willing to meet with Vitkov and Kusner again, "but the question is what they will bring with them."
"The Financial Times reported that "the US hopes that negotiators like Cook, who are unexpected in this regard, could help resolve the Ukraine issue and end the diplomatic deadlock." "The US will continue to play a constructive role in the dialogue with both sides and strive for a ceasefire agreement," said Trump, who is "optimistic" about the possibility of signing a peace treaty. "
But Russian experts don’t seem to be optimistic about this.
According to a report by the Russian website 'gazeta.ru', Vladimir Jabarov, vice chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian Federation Council, stated that the US's aforementioned hopes as reported by media are 'currently unlikely to be realized, due to Kiev and Brussels's hard anti-Russian stance.'
Jabarov believes that Western Europe and Kiev have not given up the attempt to cause strategic failure for Russia. 'Of course, there might be some results, but I doubt that negotiations with these 'unexpected negotiators' will lead to any breakthrough.'
Russian expert on US issues, Konstantin Blokhin, believes that Cook is a 'tool', and the US side hopes to use him to force Russia to make concessions.
Previously, Kang Jie, an associate researcher at the American Studies Institute of the China Institute of International Studies, told Beijing Daily that Trump prefers private diplomacy and hopes to maintain contact with Putin through relatively unofficial means. “However, the US delegation was led by the chairman of the Fine Arts Committee, Cook, rather than any economic, diplomatic, or national security officials. Additionally, US companies are still prohibited from conducting any substantial investment activities in Russia, indicating that the upper limit of the normalization process between the two sides remains very low.”
According to the Financial Times, people familiar with the matter said that during his stay in Russia, Cook met with senior Russian officials, including Anton Kobyakov, a senior aide to Putin.
Some foreign media have pointed out that Kobaykov has not participated in any negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. As the executive secretary of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, his meeting with Cook is not surprising.
According to reports in the Financial Times, U.S. officials stated that Cook attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as the chairman of CFA, with the aim of deepening bilateral cultural ties.
In an interview with the Russian news website Lenta.ru in early August, Cook said that his initial intention for visiting Russia in June was to try to restart cultural exchanges. "I think this visit was very successful."
He pointed out that the U.S. government and professionals have given very positive feedback on his report regarding this visit. “The U.S. State Department is very satisfied with this.”
He said, “Several representatives from the US State Department accompanied me to Saint Petersburg, and the hospitality I received greatly inspired them.”
At the same time, he said, “I believe it is normal for Russia and the United States to become friends, but the Russia-Ukraine conflict has hindered this process. Therefore, we must end this conflict. Once the conflict is over, our friendship will be much stronger than it is now. I am doing everything I can to promote this, at least in the cultural field.”
According to The New Yorker, Cook said that it was the US State Department that urged him to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. His mission during this trip was to carry out 'flexible diplomacy'.
He said that a government official once told him, “Many people in your position would say, ‘This task carries a high risk.’”
Some American media have a negative attitude towards Cook's visit.
For example, *Daily Wild Beasts* characterized Cook's June trip to Russia as "flattery diplomacy," saying "Cook spent a great deal of time during his stay in Saint Petersburg promoting Russian culture and architecture. He made lengthy presentations about the aesthetics of his rural Atlanta estate and the Eastern Orthodox churches of Russia."
The American website "RawStory" also described Cook's flattery in public.
Rubio, Reuters
Additionally, the website focused its coverage on Secretary of State Rubio’s ignorance about this visit. “This visit encroached upon Rubio’s authority, as he had stated in June that he was unaware of the presence of a U.S. delegation at the Russian forum. This incident also raised further doubts about the way the U.S. government handles matters related to Russia.”
The American magazine "New Republic" commented that Cook's visit seemed intended from the beginning to be kept low-key, in order to avoid public criticism and scrutiny from all parties.
This media writes: “Trump-era America supported Ukraine on its surface, but did not provide any military aid funding and even relaxed some sanctions against Russia. Trump’s desire to contact Russia has received a lot of criticism, and it is unclear how much the current government participated in this visit by Cook.”
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 declined to comment. “There are many invitations. We are dealing with them,” he told the Financial Times.
The Democratic leader of the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes, wrote to Cook in June, expressing concerns about potential counter-intelligence threats posed by his attendance at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Himes wrote: “This forum aims to promote Russia’s economic interests and geopolitical narratives. Your participation raises significant concerns at the strategic, political, and counter-espionage levels.”
Many Ukrainian media outlets, including UkrInformacion, Ukrainian Truth, and Liga.net, have reposted the Financial Times report. They emphasized that the "secret talks" were "the first time since 2018 that U.S. officials attended the forum." At the same time, they pointed out that Ukrainian intelligence services have not yet found any signs that Russia is preparing to end this conflict. Moscow is also planning to carry out large-scale attacks against Ukraine this autumn and winter.
The Art Journal previously reported that, in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, Kuk sitting in the audience seat during Putin's speech carried symbolic significance.
Regarding Cook’s visit, Vitali Tsytsys, the legal officer of the Ukrainian branch of the International Museum Association (ICOM), said, “I feel sad, but not surprised.”
He believes that ‘money matters more than moral issues. Trump’s main task is to get Putin back into the international ‘handshake circle’. Therefore, Trump’s government will use any pretext to rebuild relations with Russia.’
Simultaneously, the media pointed out that certain signs suggested that Western countries may be loosening their stance on Russia's cultural position.
According to 'Kiev Post', Kucher's visit is one of a series of cultural exchanges between the West and Russia. Criticists believe that culture cannot be separated from politics, and they warn that such measures could weaken efforts to pressure Russia.
Regarding the so-called “secret talks,” on August 18, Russian President’s Assistant Ushakov told the Russian “Vesti.ru” news website that during Kuk’s participation in the 2026 Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, “he exchanged ideas with many representatives, and there was no content that was kept secret.”
He said that negotiations were indeed conducted during the forum, concerning the restoration and development of cultural ties between Russia and the United States.
At the same time, he also pointed out, “Diplomacy has always been conducted in a low-key manner. If it is discussed loudly, then it is no longer diplomacy, but rather an public statement.”
