Trump team considers deals with Russia before Ukraine war ends - NYT
Photo: leaders' meeting in Alaska (Getty Images)
The White House is considering the possibility of concluding separate economic and other agreements with Russia before the end of the war in Ukraine, according to sources cited by The New York Times.
According to the publication, these are possible agreements that Washington could conclude with Moscow regardless of whether a full-fledged peace agreement on Ukraine is reached.
It is reported that this approach reflects Trump's desire to simultaneously continue negotiations with the Kremlin and seek opportunities to restore economic relations with Russia.
The White House expects that economic cooperation could become one of the tools for advancing the negotiation process.
However, there is no complete consensus within the American administration on how quickly to proceed with such agreements with Moscow. Some officials believe that providing Russia with economic incentives before the end of the war could weaken leverage on the Kremlin.
What agreements are being discussed
As the NYT writes, among the possible areas of cooperation being considered are energy, investments, and other sectors in which American and Russian businesses could potentially return to interaction.
At the same time, any serious economic agreements will depend on the US sanctions regime. Some restrictions against Russia remain in place, and the new US Congressional sanctions initiative envisages additional pressure on the Russian energy sector and other sources of Kremlin revenue.
On September 17, the Kremlin stated that the possible adoption of a new package of American sanctions could complicate negotiations on ending the war. Russian leader Dmitry Peskov's press secretary called such measures "unfriendly actions" and stated that they could complicate diplomatic efforts.
Trump continues to count on an agreement with Putin
The American leader himself has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that he considers Putin ready to conclude an agreement.
After a phone conversation with the Russian president on September 9, Trump said that they had had a great conversation.
He also added that the head of the Kremlin, according to him, wants to conclude an agreement.
Trump stated that he wanted to make a deal and that it would be very good if Zelenskyy wanted to make a deal as well.
Current state of affairs
At the same time, negotiations to end the war remain without significant breakthrough. Moscow continues to insist on its demands, while Kyiv seeks security guarantees and conditions that would not allow Russia to resume the war.
Against this backdrop, Washington is simultaneously discussing increasing sanction pressure on Russia and the possibility of future economic interaction with Moscow.
The US House of Representatives approved a large-scale sanctions package against Russia on September 16. The document envisages additional restrictions against Russian officials, the financial and energy sectors, as well as the possibility of imposing increased tariffs against countries that continue to purchase Russian energy resources.
Thus, the Trump administration's approach envisages a combination of pressure on Russia with attempts to preserve space for negotiations and possible economic cooperation. In this regard, specific agreements with Moscow remain a subject of discussion rather than approved policy.
Recently, US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow in an attempt to achieve progress on ending the war in Ukraine.
Large-scale projects between the countries were already discussed during this meeting.
