Russian officials are using deported Ukrainian children as a political tool, framing limited returns as signs of goodwill toward the United States, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The Kremlin is presenting these cases as evidence of cooperation with Washington even as it continues large-scale deportations in violation of international law.

Ukraine and international investigators have documented at least 19,500 cases of children forcibly taken from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia - an act recognized as a war crime under international law.

ISW reports that Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova have both used the issue publicly. Dmitriev, sanctioned by the US in 2022, responded to First Lady Melania Trump’s announcement of the return of seven Ukrainian children with handshake and flag emojis, suggesting that Moscow views the matter as leverage for restoring ties.

The institute says the Kremlin is advancing two overlapping narratives. The first downplays the scale of deportations by claiming Russia took only “hundreds” of children for humanitarian reasons. The second portrays the issue as an area of cooperation with the US, implying that further returns could follow improved relations.

Russian data contradict these claims. Official reports show children from occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions have been placed in Russian families or institutions across at least 20 regions since 2022. Ukraine has confirmed 19,500 deported children, while Russia’s own commissioner for children’s rights has acknowledged receiving more than 700,000 minors “from Ukraine.”

ISW says Russia is using the return of a few children to obscure the broader campaign of forced deportations and adoptions. The institute notes that these actions constitute war crimes under international law and that Moscow has not documented the identities of the children it has taken.

Russia will feel the pain immediately. CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan asked US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent whether Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin's envoy, was correct in claiming that American sanctions would have "absolutely no effect on Russia's economy. They will simply lead to higher prices at gas stations in the United States." 

"Margaret, are you really going to- the- publish what a Russian propagandist says? I mean, what else is he going to say?" Bessent replied.

Near-zero growth and inflation above 20%

The Russian economy is a wartime economy. Growth is virtually zero, and inflation is over 20%. Oil is what finances Russia’s war machine.

“Well, I think Russia is going to feel the pain immediately. I can tell you that we've already seen India has done a complete halt of Russian oil purchases. Many of the Chinese refineries have stopped,” Bessent explained.

He added that the Russian claim of "having immunized the economy against this" is not true.

Bessent noted that Russia’s oil revenues have dropped by 20% compared to last year.

“Their oil earnings are down 20% year over year. I would suspect that this could take them down another 20 or 30%,” he said.

Russian oil remains a key source of revenue that funds its military aggression against Ukraine. In 2025, profits from the oil and gas sector account for about 77.7% of Russia’s federal budget. 

According to the International Liberty Institute, the main buyers of Russian oil remain Asian countries, as European markets are largely restricted by sanctions.

Russia wants only Ukraine's capitulation. Moscow's maximalist demands regarding Ukraine from 2021–2022 remain unchanged. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), this became clear during the visit of Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, to the US. 

Dmitriev's visit followed US sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.

Kremlin's unyielding demands: capitulation 

In the US, Dmitriev stated that Russia seeks solutions to the “root causes” of the war. ISW notes that Moscow uses this narrative to insist on:

• Replacing Ukraine’s government with a Russian-backed puppet administration.
• Obligating Ukraine to remain neutral, leaving the country defenseless against military aggression.
• Ending NATO’s open-door policy

"Complete annihilation of humanity"

Dmitriev, known as Putin’s negotiator, claimed that “the security of the whole world” depends on peaceful US–Russia relations and warned the Trump administration about “complete annihilation of humanity” according to ISW.

He also pushed for US–Russia economic cooperation, subtly referencing Russia’s nuclear capabilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin began nuclear exercises on 22 October, which included launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, after their potential meeting with Trump in Budapest was cancelled. 

According to Dmitriev, the US must consider Russia’s “national interests” in peace discussions. He cited NATO expansion as an “existential threat” to Russia and framed the need to “protect Russian-speaking populations in eastern Ukraine.”

Dmitriev additionally repeated Russia’s proposal to build a tunnel between the US and Russia across the Bering Strait using Elon Musk’s technology, claiming economic cooperation could become the “foundation of peaceful US–Russia relations.”

Sweets with threats

Additionally, Kirill Dmitriev brought boxes of chocolates to the negotiations in the United States, with wrappers featuring quotes by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He shared this on his Instagram page.

The chocolates included phrases such as “Russia doesn’t abandon its own” and “Russia’s borders have no end anywhere.”

Other quotes included:

• “It is pointless to speak to Russia from a position of strength.”
• “The fewer teeth you have, the more you love porridge.”
• “When a person stops being amazed, it’s time for them to go to the cemetery.”

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said that Russia’s position on Ukraine has not changed since the Alaska summit in August 2025, rejecting any ceasefire that does not address the alleged “root causes” of the war.

Citing its sources, Reuters reports that US President Donald Trump’s administration has prepared a new package of sanctions that could target Russia’s banking and oil sectors if Moscow continues its war against Ukraine. Washington has also urged European partners to take the lead in tightening economic pressure, even as it weighs options to use frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv.

Trump weighs next move on Russia sanctions

According to Reuters, US officials have developed additional sanctions that could strike key areas of Russia’s economy, including the banking sector and the infrastructure used to export oil. The measures are ready to deploy if Russia's President Vladimir Putin refuses to advance peace efforts in Ukraine. Officials told Reuters that the United States has also discussed with European allies the use of frozen Russian assets to buy American weapons for Ukraine, while internal talks in Washington have begun on how to leverage assets held domestically.

Europe urged to take the next step

Reuters cites a senior US official saying he wants European nations to make “the next big Russia move,” which could include fresh tariffs or financial restrictions. Another source familiar with internal discussions told Reuters that Trump plans to wait several weeks to gauge Moscow’s reaction before deciding on further measures.

The White House has positioned Trump as a global peacemaker, but he has acknowledged that ending Russia’s invasion has proven far more difficult than expected. His August meeting with Putin in Alaska made no progress, and on 25 October, Trump told reporters in Doha that he would not meet the Russian leader again unless a peace deal seemed achievable.

“I’m not going to be wasting my time,” he said.

Ukraine’s proposals and Senate push

Ukrainian officials recently presented new sanction ideas to Washington, Reuters reports, including a plan to cut all Russian banks off from the US dollar system. It remains unclear whether those proposals will be adopted. Meanwhile, some senators are pushing to advance a long-stalled bipartisan sanctions bill, and Reuters says Trump is open to endorsing it—though not this month.

Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's economic envoy and representative in negotiations with the United States, has stated that Washington, Kyiv and Moscow are close to reaching a diplomatic resolution to end the war.

Speaking to CNN after arriving in Washington for talks with American officials, Dmitriev said a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will still take place, though at a later date than originally planned.

"I believe that Russia, the US, and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution," Dmitriev told CNN.

When the journalist noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had agreed to freeze the front line for a subsequent ceasefire and asked why Putin had not done the same, Dmitriev responded that Moscow seeks not merely a truce but a "final solution" to end the war.

Dmitriev, however, characterized Zelenskyy's position as a significant shift.

"This is a big step on President Zelenskyy's part — to acknowledge that it's about the front lines," he said, noting that Ukraine's previous position demanded Russia's complete withdrawal.

"I think we're quite close to a diplomatic solution that can be worked out," the Russian financier added.

The Kremlin envoy is scheduled to meet with Trump administration representatives to continue discussions on US-Russia relations. Axios reported earlier that talks with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff are planned.

Trump stated after recent talks with Ukrainian and Russian leaders that he supports freezing the war at current front lines.

He denied media reports suggesting he had urged Zelensky to surrender all of Donetsk Oblast. "We believe that what they should do is just stop at those lines where they are now, at the front lines," Trump said.

Reuters reports that the Kremlin has not altered its demands, continuing to insist on control over the entire Donbas region, including complete capture of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, according to Reuters. President Zelenskyy has rejected any territorial concessions to Moscow.

Russia’s top economic envoy has quietly arrived in Washington for official meetings just days after President Donald Trump announced sweeping new sanctions targeting Moscow’s biggest oil producers.

The visit comes at a sensitive moment in US-Russia relations, following the Trump administration’s decision to sanction Rosneft and Lukoil and the US call for an immediate ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. It marks the latest instance of direct contact between officials from the two countries despite ongoing tensions and sanctions.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a close ally of Vladimir Putin, is expected to hold talks with senior Trump administration officials about the future of US-Russia relations, sources familiar with the visit told CNN.

The trip follows Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of new sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil companies. The measures were introduced as part of Washington’s pressure campaign for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The impact of the restrictions is already rippling through global energy markets. Chinese state oil majors have suspended seaborne purchases of Russian crude, and Indian refiners are sharply cutting imports, according to industry sources. The moves threaten to squeeze Moscow’s key export revenues, as China and India are Russia’s two largest oil buyers.

Putin said the sanctions would have little impact on Russia’s economy, calling them an attempt to put pressure on Moscow. “No self-respecting country ever does anything under pressure,” he said, adding that he warned Trump the move could affect global oil prices, including in the US.

Kirill Dmitriev, sanctioned Russian envoy

After the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the US Treasury sanctioned Dmitriev as a “close associate of Putin.” 

In April 2025, he became the first Russian official to visit Washington since the invasion, meeting Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. CNN reported that the US government temporarily lifted sanctions to grant him a visa for that visit.

During his April visit, Dmitriev promoted potential economic cooperation on Arctic projects, rare earth minerals, and liquefied natural gas while claiming Russia "is not asking for lifting of sanctions." The Institute for the Study of War described these statements as a "deceptive parallel negotiating track" that diverged significantly from Moscow's actual maximalist positions.