For the first time since 2018, a U.S. official is attending the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Chairman of the US Commission of Fine Arts, Rodney Mims Cook Jr, arrived in St Petersburg and is officially leading a U.S. delegation. He will speak at a session on U.S.-Russian cultural dialogue. Robert Agee, the head of the American Chamber of Commerce, is also in attendance.
While Cook and Agee downplayed the visit, claiming they are not part of an “official U.S. delegation,” the visit clearly marks a positive move toward closer relations. “As I’ve seen, President Trump truly wants to improve relations with Russia. The fact that Mr. Cook came is a very good signal,” Agee told TASS. Cook has reportedly helped restore various churches in Russia in the past, and on the first day of his visit gifted a religious icon to a monastery in St Petersburg as a gesture of goodwill.
“We see that there are such efforts, that there is a desire to improve relations,” Cook said of the visit.
