The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of concluding separate business deals with Russia even before the war in Ukraine ends.
This is reported by The New York Times, citing two people familiar with the course of the talks.
According to the newspaper, Washington believes that reaching certain economic agreements before the fighting ends could demonstrate to Moscow the seriousness of US intentions regarding a possible “reset of relations”.
One US official cited by the NYT said that economic incentives could also encourage members of Russia’s elite to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war. At the same time, the specific deals that could be offered to Russia have not yet been determined.
This approach may differ from Washington’s previous position, under which economic co-operation with Moscow was to resume after the war ended. According to the NYT, among the possible areas of co-operation the Russian side had previously proposed joint projects in the Arctic, the development of rare-earth metals and aluminium production.
At the same time, the United States continues to use sanctions pressure on Russia. Recently, President Trump signed a law introducing new sanctions measures against Russia. Reuters reported that the Kremlin said the new US sanctions could complicate talks on ending the war.
Separately, after Putin met Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on 5 September, the Kremlin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the sides had discussed economic issues in detail and potential major mutually beneficial Russian-American projects.