Chairman of the American Commission Rodney Mims Cook Jr. at the forum in St. Petersburg, he publicly gave Putin a greeting from Trump. He surprised both Moscow and Washington.
American Fine Arts Commission Chairman Rodney Mims Cook Jr., who heads the American delegation to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), delivered a message from White House Chief Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. TASR informs about it with reference to the Reuters agency.
- Rodney Mims Cook Jr. in St. Petersburg, he gave Vladimir Putin a greeting from Trump.
- At the SPIEF plenary session, Cook personally called Trump a friend of Putin.
- The United States did not send any major government officials to the St. Petersburg Forum.
- The US State Department approved Cook’s participation to strengthen cultural ties.
- Rodney Mims Cook Jr. quickly approved the construction of a new ballroom in the White House.
“Mr. President Vladimir Putin, I am very pleased to see you,” Cook said when asked to say a few words at the plenary session. “You have a beautiful hometown. Greetings from your friend, President Trump,” he told him.
Trump’s message to Putin
The United States did not send any important representatives to St. Petersburg. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senators on Wednesday that he was unaware of the composition of the delegation.
An unnamed U.S. official told The Hill that the delegation was approved by the State Department and that Cook “attended this forum to strengthen bilateral cultural ties.” According to Russia, the American delegation participated in the forum for the first time since 2018.
Controversial appointment
Cook was appointed by the president to chair the Commission on Fine Arts in January and moved quickly to approve Trump’s plans to build a new ballroom at the White House. The project has come under intense scrutiny as it changed the historic character of the now-demolished east wing without a proper approval process.
