Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the chairman of the US Fine Arts Commission and the one who is overseeing the White House Ballroom expansion, held talks with Kremlin officials in Russia this summer on a private diplomatic mission. Cook called the trip a “cultural visit” and showed Moscow photos of his Atlanta “dacha”.
This is reported by the Financial Times, citing informed sources.
Cook Jr. received a diplomatic passport and underwent extensive briefings before attending an economic forum in St. Petersburg in June, where he met with Kremlin officials and was protected by diplomatic security, sources said.
In June, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was unaware of the delegation that traveled to St. Petersburg.
According to the FT, the US hoped that such atypical envoys as Cook could help break the deadlock over ending Russiaʼs war in Ukraine. According to a source familiar with the situation, one of the Russian officials the American diplomat met with was a senior Putin aide, Anton Kobyakov.
The FT found out that on the opening day of the forum, when Cook was on his way to breakfast with a friend at the Winter Palace, he witnessed a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian oil refinery on the Neva River. During the panel “Russia-US: a dialogue of cultures”, he showed photos of his own “dacha” in Atlanta. According to him, it is built in “the traditions of Russian wooden architecture, which for decades has touched his heart.”
The next day, in a question-and-answer session with Putin, an American diplomat conveyed to him “sincere greetings from our friend, President Trump”.
- The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is an annual event led by Putin that Russia uses to showcase its “successful economy” and attract foreign partners, despite international sanctions.
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