Anna Hartz
Diplomatic efforts between Washington and Moscow have often taken place behind closed doors.
A recent visit by a US official to Russia has now drawn attention because of who made the trip and the people he met there.
Rodney Mims Cook Jr., chairman of the US Fine Arts Commission, traveled to Russia this summer as part of a quiet diplomatic mission, according to people familiar with the visit, reports Digi24. Cook oversees the commission involved in Donald Trump’s controversial plans to expand the White House ballroom.
Claims the visit was based on cultural interest
Cook was given a diplomatic passport and attended several briefings before traveling to St Petersburg in June for the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. During the visit, he met Russian officials and was provided with a diplomatic security team.
One of those meetings was with Anton Kobiakov, a senior adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Cook described the trip as a cultural visit. He has a long interest in Russian culture and has worked on restoring Russian-style buildings in the United States and Russia.
At a conference called Russia-US. A Dialogue of Cultures, Cook spoke about Russian churches, public buildings and country homes. He also showed photographs of his own house in Atlanta, which he said was built in a Russian wooden style.
Cook said he knows Russian culture well and has longstanding relationships with people working in the country’s cultural institutions. He described the meetings as a warm return to a place where he has many old friends.
Political agenda
The visit also had a clear political meaning. The US has been looking for new ways to reopen communication with Moscow as efforts to end the war in Ukraine remain difficult.
Cook was the first American official to attend Putin’s economic forum in 2018. The US later stayed away from the event after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The war was impossible to ignore during his latest visit. On the opening day, Cook said he saw a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian refinery near the Neva River while crossing Palace Square.
He later mentioned the war during his presentation and called for reconciliation.
The next day, Cook took part in a question-and-answer session with Putin. He passed on greetings from Trump and said the two countries had many ideas to discuss.
Cook declined to discuss his meetings with Russian officials or say whether Trump had asked him to continue the contacts. A White House official said the US remains committed to talks aimed at ending the war and that Trump is optimistic about reaching a peace agreement.
