Late last week, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the chairman of the US Commission of Fine Arts, became the first US official to participate in St. Petersburg’s so-called “Russian Davos” in nearly a decade, according to reports.
The St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is designed to attract foreign investment in Russia, but has seen a drop in attendance of high-profile Western leaders since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In a stark reminder, Ukrainian drones struck oil and military targets on the outskirts of St Petersburg as the major, four-day forum prepared to open June 3, reported the BBC. “Given such distinguished guests and the importance of the event itself, we couldn’t ignore it — so we rushed off to St Petersburg,” Denys Shtilierman, co-founder of the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, ironically wrote on X.
Earlier, on June 2, Democratic Illinois Senator Dick Durbin asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to explain the presence of US officials at SPIEF. However, in response, Rubio said he “was not aware” of their presence.
But just a few days later, Cook led a US delegation to the forum, where he joined a Thursday roundtable discussion and then spoke during Friday’s plenary session. “You have a beautiful hometown,” Cook told Putin, according to Reuters. “I do give a good hello from your friend, President Trump.”
Thursday’s roundtable titled “Russia-USA: dialogue of cultures” was moderated by Russian cultural envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy, who was also key in orchestrating Russia’s participation in this year’s Venice Biennale. Fellow participants also included the US actor Steven Seagal, whom the Russian Foreign Ministry appointed as a special envoy for Russian-American “humanitarian relations” in 2018. They were joined by other outspoken supporters of the Russian invasion of Ukraine who have been sanctioned by the EU, including the director of the State Hermitage Museum, Mikhail Piotrovsky, and Russian culture minister Olga Lyubimova, who called for the “depoliticization” of culture during the meeting, according to the Art Newspaper.
Cook, who has been a key backer of President Trump’s White House ballroom and triumphal arch, also discussed his long-held love and support for Russian arts and heritage. Many in attendance “have been my personal friends for decades,” he reportedly stated.
