The head of the U.S. Commission on the Arts will visit Russia for the first time in eight years
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2026) plans to hold, for the first time, a separate session dedicated to cultural dialogue between Russia and the United States. One of the event’s keynote speakers will be Rodney Mims Cook Jr., who heads the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.
Cook is known to have previously participated in a number of architectural and restoration projects in Russia, particularly in St. Petersburg.
The forum’s organizer, the Roscongress Foundation, in partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, will hold two thematic sessions dedicated to cooperation between the two countries.
One of them will be a business dialogue titled “Pragmatism as a Strategy: Business in the Era of a New Global Reality.” The event will take place for the second consecutive year following its debut at the forum in 2025.
According to the organizers, the previous business session generated significant interest among representatives of Russian and American companies who are exploring the prospects for resuming commercial cooperation between the two countries.
In addition, for the first time in the history of the SPIEF, a special cultural panel titled “Russia-U.S.: A Dialogue of Cultures” will be held, with Rodney Mims Cook Jr. serving as the keynote speaker.
It is expected that during the discussion, participants will discuss historical examples of humanitarian cooperation between Russia and the U.S., including Russian ballet tours in America, “jazz diplomacy,” and various cultural and humanitarian exchanges of the 20th century.
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SPIEF 2026 will be the first forum where, alongside business issues, a separate format for cultural dialogue between Russia and the US will be presented, which may indicate attempts to expand humanitarian contacts between the countries.
This was reported by Business Today.
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