Washington is discussing Russian deals with American oil companies as part of the peace talks on Ukraine. The Financial Times. Part 1/2 The White House offers to renew post-war business ties in an attempt to persuade Putin to negotiate. The United States and Russia are discussing the possibility of American companies returning to the Russian oil market as part of broader negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. According to sources, the White House and the Kremlin proposed that after the end of the war it would be possible to renew a joint venture between American and Russian oil companies off the coast of Sakhalin. They also discussed the possibility of involving major American companies in a plan to resume selling Russian oil to Europe through the Druzhba oil pipeline, the sources added. They said special envoy Steve Witkoff discussed possible business deals with Putin during a meeting in St. Petersburg in early September. Photos released by the Kremlin press pool during a follow-up visit to Moscow last week showed Witkoff writing in his notebook, among other things, "business transactions." "President Trump's representatives discussed economic proposals with both sides of the conflict, including a post-war economic plan aimed at creating long-term opportunities for growth and investment in Ukraine, as well as potential opportunities for post-war economic cooperation with Russia," a US official told the FT. "Economic agreements will be included and governed by a comprehensive peace agreement that will end the killing in this brutal war; the final decision has not yet been made," the official said. Moscow saw the business deals as an incentive for Trump to normalize relations with Russia before the end of the war, sources said. The Kremlin did not hide its willingness to renew economic cooperation with the United States, even despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Washington is discussing Russian deals with American oil companies as part of the peace talks on Ukraine. The Financial Times. Part 1/2 The White House offers to renew post-war business ties in an attempt to persuade Putin to negotiate. The United States and Russia are discussing the possibility of American companies returning to the Russian oil market as part of broader negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. According to sources, the White House and the Kremlin proposed that after the end of the war it would be possible to renew a joint venture between American and Russian oil companies off the coast of Sakhalin. They also discussed the possibility of involving major American companies in a plan to resume selling Russian oil to Europe through the Druzhba oil pipeline, the sources added. They said special envoy Steve Witkoff discussed possible business deals with Putin during a meeting in St. Petersburg in early September. Photos released by the Kremlin press pool during a follow-up visit to Moscow last week showed Witkoff writing in his notebook, among other things, "business transactions." "President Trump's representatives discussed economic proposals with both sides of the conflict, including a post-war economic plan aimed at creating long-term opportunities for growth and investment in Ukraine, as well as potential opportunities for post-war economic cooperation with Russia," a US official told the FT. "Economic agreements will be included and governed by a comprehensive peace agreement that will end the killing in this brutal war; the final decision has not yet been made," the official said. Moscow saw the business deals as an incentive for Trump to normalize relations with Russia before the end of the war, sources said. The Kremlin did not hide its willingness to renew economic cooperation with the United States, even despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.