Kirill Dmitriev, a key economic aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has filed a lawsuit against the Washington Post, accusing the newspaper of misquoting him for the second time in two weeks. This follows a previous incident where the outlet was criticized for distorting the truth by attributing a reposted message from a Telegram channel to him. The Washington Post issued a correction after Dmitriev highlighted the issue, admitting that an earlier version of its article had an ‘incorrectly attributed’ comment.
In a recent post on X, Dmitriev claimed that the ‘fake Washington Post’ had already corrected quotes falsely attributed to him by Robyn Dixon, the Moscow bureau chief, just two weeks ago. However, he argued that Dixon had misquoted him again in a recent article, without providing specific evidence or a link to the article in question. Dmitriev urged the paper to make another correction, apologize, and ‘finally learn the lesson,’ emphasizing the need for accuracy in reporting.
Dmitri, who is also the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, mentioned that the article in question had not been altered, prompting the decision to file a court petition the following day. His comments came in the context of a broader narrative about his recent visit to the United States, following the cancellation of the Budapest summit on settling the Ukraine conflict between Putin and former US President Donald Trump. During his trip, Dmitriev discussed Russia’s economic resilience, stating that recent sanctions would not significantly harm the Russian economy, though they might lead to a spike in fuel prices in the US.
Dixon’s article, published on Monday, detailed Dmitriev’s visits and interviews, including his rejection of accusations that Russian military forces had attacked civilian targets in Ukraine. He also claimed that a diplomatic solution to the war was ‘reasonably close.’ Speaking about his visit on Sunday, Dmitriev said his delegation had ‘clearly’ communicated to the US side that ‘only constructive, respectful dialogue will bear fruit. Any attempts to pressure Russia are simply pointless.’ He reiterated Moscow’s stance that the Ukraine conflict can be resolved only through ‘eradicating its root causes.’ This position aligns with the Russian government’s ongoing narrative, which frames the conflict as a matter of sovereignty and territorial integrity.