This is reported by Bloomberg citing its own sources.
The publication refers to the Russian negotiators as a "team of heavyweights with many years of negotiation experience." Among them are:
The publication states that the choice of negotiators underscores how determined Russian leader Vladimir Putin is to secure a favorable outcome in any negotiations.
Bloomberg suggests that this also indicates "how little his demands regarding Ukraine have changed over the past three years since he ordered the full-scale invasion."
The 77-year-old Yuri Ushakov has been an aide to Putin for over a decade, and prior to that served as the ambassador to the U.S. from 1998 to 2008, giving him deep insights into relations with Washington. The 70-year-old Naryshkin is a longtime trusted associate of the Russian leader and has been working with him for over 40 years.
Both Ushakov and Naryshkin participated in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The 49-year-old Dmitriev was already involved in negotiations for the release of American school teacher Mark Fogel from a Russian prison this month. White House special representative Steve Whitcoff hinted at this, stating to reporters this week that a "gentleman from Russia," named Kirill, played a crucial role in this process.
Other members of the 2022 negotiation team may also join the talks later. They will primarily assist in discussions with Ukrainian representatives, which may include presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky — the head of the Russian negotiation team in 2022.
The first round of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia began just a few days after the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators initially met in Belarus, then traveled to Turkey, continuing talks until April.
In April 2022, a draft peace agreement between the states was developed, but it was never signed.
Maria Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, repeatedly stated that in the spring of 2022, Russia and Ukraine were allegedly "close to reaching mutually acceptable agreements," however, then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Ukraine, "forbidding Zelensky from further negotiations."
At the same time, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that in 2022, "there was no peace settlement," nor were there chances to end the war. Otherwise, Western partners would have "pressured" Ukraine and forced it to do so.