Kirill Dmitriev is a rare breed of Russian diplomat.
At 50 he is relatively young and he has a deep understanding of the US, having studied and worked there for several years.
He is also a man of commerce, as head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and a good fit for his opposite number in the Trump administration, special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Dmitriev now finds himself under the spotlight over a draft peace plan that emerged after he spent three days with Witkoff in Miami.
His team has refused to comment on its proposals, which read like a Putin wishlist, requiring Ukraine to cede territory under its control and slash the size of its military.
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has been careful not to reject its terms, but says any deal must bring a dignified peace, with terms that respect our independence, our sovereignty.
Putin's special envoy understands modern Ukraine better than most in Moscow. He was brought up in Ukraine, and a friend claims that as a 15-year-old Dmitriev took part in pro-democracy protests in Kyiv before the fall of the Soviet Union.
He has been a fixture of US-Russian diplomatic initiatives pretty much since the start of Trump's second presidency - and Steve Witkoff has been a regular counterpart.
Witkoff has commended Dmitriev, noting his role in reinstating dialogue between the two countries.
Although praised by some for his direct approach, Dmitriev has faced backlash. Following U.S. sanctions on Russia's oil, he was labeled a Russian propagandist by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Dmitriev's charm and comfort in U.S. media allow him to deliver the Kremlin's narrative delicately, which adds layers to his role as a diplomat versus a propagandist.
His ties to Putin and the Russian elite complicate his actions, and Ukrainian sanctions against him highlight the mistrust that surrounds his intentions.
