Russia’s chief economic negotiator criticized the “monumental efforts” aimed at obstructing dialogue with the United States during his visit to the country for discussions with American officials, following new sanctions imposed by Washington on Russian oil companies.

This visit occurs amid growing frustration from U.S. President Donald Trump towards his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, particularly over Putin’s reluctance to agree to a ceasefire in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, which has persisted for nearly four years.

Earlier in the week, Trump decided to cancel planned talks with Putin in Budapest, expressing his desire to avoid a “fruitless” meeting.

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s economic envoy, who arrived in the U.S. on Friday, stated that Moscow is “dedicated to fostering constructive dialogue and clearly articulating Russia’s stance.”

“We are witnessing monumental efforts to undermine any communication between Russia and the U.S. and to disseminate false information,” Dmitriev remarked in a video shared on Telegram.

Dmitriev engaged with Trump administration representatives on Friday and Saturday, according to a Russian source familiar with the discussions. These talks were anticipated to extend into Sunday.

The Kremlin’s envoy also met with Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna from Florida, who is facilitating a “meeting between U.S. Congress members and the Russian Duma to promote parliamentary dialogue,” he noted on X on Sunday.

In his Telegram message, Dmitriev—a former Goldman Sachs banker and Stanford alum—indicated that this meeting would take place “in the near future.”

Russia has continually dismissed calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The latest nighttime strike on Kyiv resulted in three fatalities and numerous injuries, as reported by the mayor of the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.