Aides To Trump And Putin Held A Secret Meeting On Ukraine
- 18.08.2026, 14:22
- 1,380
The mission was initiated by the White House.
One of U.S. President Donald Trump’s close associates—Rodney Mims Cook Jr.—recently held secret talks with Kremlin representatives.
This was reported by Financial Times.
As journalists have learned, this involves a “secret diplomatic mission” initiated by the White House itself.
The fact is that Trump’s team is trying to find a way to engage with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin following the failure of its previous peace efforts.
Insiders claim that Cook Jr. received “comprehensive briefings” before attending the Kremlin leader’s economic forum in St. Petersburg in June.
It is known that Trump’s aide met with Anton Kobyakov—Putin’s senior aide—though he likely met with others as well.
The parties focused on the issue of ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Cook Jr. declined to comment on his meetings with Russian officials, or on whether Trump had asked him to continue these contacts, or whether he would return there in the near future.
“There are many requests. We’re working on that right now,” he said.
It is also known that during his presentation at the forum, Cook conveyed to Putin “sincere congratulations from your friend, President Trump.”