Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, has become a key figure in the Kremlin's outreach to the Trump administration. Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed the 49-year-old Kyiv native as special envoy for economic affairs in an attempt to interest Washington in joint economic ventures in return for a favorable peace deal.

Dmitriev, 49, the chief of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund since 2011, was appointed in February as Putin's special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation. WHY IS HE IMPORTANT?

Russian President Vladimir Putin's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday that he saw a "positive dynamic" in relations between Moscow and Washington, though more meetings were needed to sort out differences.