NYT: Trump considers "appeasing" Russia with business deals before hostilities end

The White House is reportedly considering signing certain business deals with Russia even before Moscow ends its war against Ukraine, as a way of demonstrating its good intentions.

Source: The New York Times, citing anonymous sources

Details: According to two people familiar with the details of negotiations involving Trump's special envoys, the administration is already considering signing certain economic agreements with Russia without making it a precondition that hostilities in the war against Ukraine cease.

One of the sources, a US official, said deals before the end of the war were considered possible because they would "show that the United States is serious about a reset relationship with Russia".

Last year, Trump said economic cooperation with Russia could only resume once the Russia-Ukraine war had ended. In particular, ahead of his meeting with the Russian leader in Alaska, he said Russia wanted economic cooperation but that there would be none of that "until we get the war settled".

Trump's negotiators are now reportedly looking for new ways to encourage Moscow to end the war, as it has become clear that Ukraine is not prepared to surrender the unoccupied part of Donetsk Oblast without a fight.

The US official said the administration wanted to create more incentives for Russia's elite to push the country's leadership towards peace. The thinking is that economic deals with the US that appeal to Russia could "help convince anti-American hawks around Mr Putin that Mr Trump really does want to create a new relationship with Russia".

It is not yet known what specific agreements are under consideration. After special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Moscow, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said their discussions had touched on "economic issues and potential major mutually beneficial Russian-American projects".

Background:

• Russia has previously tried to entice Trump with the potential benefits of economic cooperation, discussing joint projects involving rare-earth mineral and aluminium extraction, projects in the Arctic and the involvement of US companies in selling Russian natural gas to Europe.
• Following Trump's recent proposal for an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the Kremlin said it would also like Ukrainian strikes on its tankers in the Black Sea to stop and Western sanctions on Russian energy resources to be lifted.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon to help us keep reporting!