Washington is starting to understand the key role of Russian energy in global stability, Kirill Dmitriev has said

Russia and the US have held talks over the ongoing oil crisis triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran, Kirill Dmitriev, an investment envoy to President Vladimir Putin, has announced.

In a post on Telegram on Thursday, Dmitriev said he had traveled to the US at Putin's request to attend a working group meeting on economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington.

The sides, he said, discussed "potential projects" that could help restore Russian-American relations, along with "the current crisis in global energy markets."

"Today many countries, above all the US, are beginning to better understand the key, system-forming role of Russian oil and gas in ensuring global economic stability, as well as the ineffectiveness and destructive nature of sanctions against Russia," he added.

In a separate post on X, he thanked US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner - President Donald Trump's son-in-law - and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum for a "productive meeting."

Witkoff also confirmed the talks, which took place in Florida, adding that "the teams discussed a variety of topics and agreed to stay in touch."

The discussions followed a phone call between Trump and Putin on Monday, which covered several issues, including the Middle East conflict. Moscow described the call as "businesslike, frank and constructive," while Trump called the conversation "very good."

The US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region. The crisis led to a de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz - a route that carries roughly one-fifth of the world's daily oil supply - sending oil prices surging nearly 50% to almost $120 per barrel.

Although the rally eased after several countries agreed to release strategic reserves, prices rose again to above $100 on Thursday.

On Monday, Putin said that Moscow had "repeatedly warned that attempts to destabilize the situation in the Middle East would inevitably jeopardize" global energy supply and cautioned that Hormuz oil flows risked stopping entirely. He also stressed that Russia would be open to resuming oil and gas supplies to the EU, a proposal dismissed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who warned that a return to Russian energy would be a "strategic blunder."

(RT.com)