Russia Holds Secret Talks With Unconventional US Envoy

The White House dispatched Rodney Mims Cook Jr. — an architect and Russia enthusiast best known for overseeing Trump's new ceremonial ballroom — to hold secret negotiations with Russian officials in St. Petersburg this week, the Financial Times reported. Putin simultaneously rejected Ukrainian peace proposals in a broadcast interview, warning that Kyiv had opened a "Pandora's box" and threatening its most vulnerable economic sectors. The choice of envoy has baffled diplomatic observers and raised questions about whether the back-channel carries any real mandate or is a gesture designed to signal openness to talks without committing to anything. Cook has no diplomatic background but is known for having built a dacha-style home in the United States.