MOSCOW
There will be “about 20,000 people from more than 100 countries” who will attend the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said Tuesday.
Ushakov media briefing said at a in Moscow that high-level representatives, including government officials and politicians from about 76 countries, will take part in the forum.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) nations are expected to maintain their traditionally strong presence, he noted.
“This year, for the first time in several years, an official US delegation will arrive at the forum, led by Rodney Cook, head of the US administration’s Commission of Fine Arts. I would say that the Americans have been absent at this level since around 2017-2018,” said Ushakov.
Cook is scheduled to participate in the “Russia-US: Dialogue of Cultures” session alongside Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatre chief Valery Gergiev and Hermitage Museum Director Mikhail Piotrovsky, he said.
Ushakov outlined the program for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he said will begin his forum schedule on June 4 with a meeting with heads of leading international news agencies to discuss key domestic and foreign policy issues.
Putin will also hold talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and together they will take part in a ceremony launching the construction of the first power unit of Uzbekistan’s integrated nuclear power plant via video link.
The forum’s main plenary session will take place June 5, featuring a keynote address by Putin followed by a discussion and question-and-answer session, said Ushakov.
Other participants include Mirziyoyev, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, he said.
Putin is also expected to meet separately with Han to discuss the results of his visit to China and prospects for further development of relations on June 6.
Saudi Arabia is the guest country of SPIEF 2026, with its delegation headed by Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, said Ushakov.
He also announced that a Russia-ASEAN summit will be held June 18 in Kazan.
