U.S. Fine Arts Chair Holds Secret Kremlin Talks While Promoting Trump Ballroom

The chair of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 70-year-old Rodney Mims Cook Jr., traveled to Russia in June to appear at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Kremlin’s counterpart to Davos. Already the first U.S. official to attend the event in 2018, Cook used the platform to display designs for Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom and to convey a personal greeting from the president to Vladimir Putin.

Although Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed no knowledge of a U.S. delegation, insiders say Cook held private talks with senior Kremlin aide Anton Kobyakov, hoping to influence negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Cook declined to elaborate on the discussions, stating only that “there are many requests” being addressed. The episode follows a 17-month gap since Trump missed his own deadline to secure peace, and the White House has not responded to inquiries.