US Says Russia Talks Joined by Bessent Were Constructive

A US delegation that included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held meetings with Russia's special envoy that an American negotiator described as productive, and those talks came ahead of planned indirect three-way negotiations in Abu Dhabi. Separately, global precious metals markets saw a sharp selloff that sent gold and silver down steeply after a dollar rebound tied to reports about a likely Federal Reserve nomination.

A US delegation that included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held what an American negotiator described as productive meetings with Russia's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida. US envoy Steve Witkoff said he was encouraged that Russia was working toward securing peace in Ukraine, and attendees included Jared Kushner and White House adviser Josh Gruenbaum. Those meetings took place a day before US, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were scheduled to resume indirect three-way talks in Abu Dhabi. At the same time, global precious metals markets experienced a sharp selloff, with the dollar rally cited as a key market driver. Key points: - An American negotiator described the Florida meetings involving Scott Bessent and Kirill Dmitriev as productive and constructive. - Steve Witkoff said he was encouraged that Russia was working toward securing peace in Ukraine. - Jared Kushner and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum attended the talks. - The meetings came one day before indirect three-way negotiations among the US, Russia and Ukraine were scheduled to resume in Abu Dhabi. - Precious metals saw large intraday declines: the article reports gold fell more than 12% and slipped below $5,000 an ounce, while silver plunged as much as 36%, and the dollar strengthened. - The article mentions shares of major mining companies including Newmont, Barrick and Agnico Eagle fell more than 10% in New York trading. Summary: The meetings in Florida were presented as a hopeful step ahead of indirect Abu Dhabi negotiations, which are the next scheduled diplomatic event. The simultaneous market move cut into recent gains for precious metals, with the article reporting the dollar rebound and related flows as a primary immediate influence.