As reported by CNN, Ukrainians are not participating, but their “contribution” was felt as drone strikes hit President Vladimir Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg on the morning the forum began.
The forum, dubbed Putin’s answer to Davos, has seen a steady decline in Western participants in recent years after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia speaks of “official” US delegation – America denies
Saudi Arabia is this year’s guest of honor at the forum, and the Saudi energy minister is expected to participate in a plenary session with V. Putin on Friday. A clear sign that Russia is seeking business ties with the East is also the participation of Chinese Vice President Han Zheng with a large delegation.
R.M. Cook, appointed to a government commission by President Donald Trump, is the first US official to attend this forum since 2017. His participation was widely discussed by the Kremlin, which described him as the head of the first official US delegation at SPIEF in many years.
R.M. Cook told Russian state media on Wednesday that he had permission from D. Trump and the State Department to come to Russia. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a Senate committee meeting on Wednesday that he was “unaware” of an official delegation’s participation, despite Moscow’s claims to the contrary.
Trump’s representative showed off his “dacha”
Nevertheless, on Thursday, R.M. Cook participated in a discussion titled “Russia and the USA: Cultural Dialogue” alongside American actor Steven Seagal and Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova. In his opening remarks, R.M. Cook first showed the audience and other discussion participants his “dacha” – a Russian-style cottage or country house – in Atlanta.
“I was again received very warmly in St. Petersburg. Many in this hall are personal friends of decades, I am here to listen and learn,” said R.M. Cook, quoted by CNN.
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“I want to show you how I live; this is my dacha where I live in Atlanta. It’s a Russian wooden veranda that has touched my heart over the decades and seems extraordinary to me,” he added, showing photos of his home on a presentation slide.
R.M. Cook’s commission was tasked with approving the reconstruction of the White House banquet hall wing and Trump’s “Arc de Triomphe” – a 76-meter-high monument, modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which the president plans to build in Washington. He also showed several sketches of these projects.
Seagal and podcaster Owens, who calls Brigitte Macron a man
One discussion also featured S. Seagal, a frequent visitor to Russia, who was personally presented with a Russian passport by V. Putin in 2016. The Hollywood actor said that establishing Russian-American ties is his “dream.”
An unexpected guest this year was conservative American podcaster Candace Owens, who participated in another discussion promoting family values. Visiting the country for the first time, the woman spent a couple of days in Moscow with her husband and children, posting photos of her “sightseeing,” and then arrived in St. Petersburg.
C. Owens became a highly controversial figure after voicing conspiracy theories related to the death of conservative American activist Charlie Kirk and the gender of French First Lady Brigitte Macron, for which the podcaster filed a defamation lawsuit.
Misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan also announced that they are in Russia this week. A. Tate posted a video showing them being greeted at Moscow airport with Russian dances and traditional bread and salt. It is not yet clear whether they are participating in the economic forum.
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