US official describes SPIEF visit as Washington’s ‘pivot’ toward Russia

WASHINGTON, July 18. /TASS/. Rodney Mims Cook Jr., chairperson of the US Commission of Fine Arts, described his participation in this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) as Washington’s "pivot" toward Russia.

"I was the highest-ranking American to go to Russia in a number of years. That's a pivot. It went well," he told TASS when asked whether US President Donald Trump continued to seek the normalization of relations with Russia.

On whether Trump had "blessed" his communication with Russian officials, Cook Jr. responded affirmatively, saying: "I assure you, I would not have gone [to the SPIEF without the US administration’s permission]."

A US delegation attended the 2026 SPIEF for the first time in several years. Cook Jr. has previously visited Russia, lecturing on architecture at the Kremlin Armory, the Yasnaya Polyana and Arkhangelskoye estates, and taking part as an independent expert in the restoration of the Resurrection Cathedral at the New Jerusalem Monastery outside Moscow.