The US Is Discussing Joint Projects with Russia After the War Ends, According to the FT
The U.S. and Russia are considering the return of American businesses to Russian oil production as part of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Washington hopes to involve major companies in resuming fuel exports.
According to The Financial Times, the White House and the Kremlin have discussed the possibility of resuming operations at a joint venture off the coast of Sakhalin once hostilities have ended. There is also talk of involving American corporations in a plan to resume the supply of Russian raw materials to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline.
What Is Known About U.S. Plans for Cooperation with Russia
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff raised the issue of potential commercial agreements during a September meeting with dictator Putin in St. Petersburg.
Representatives of President Trump discussed economic proposals with both sides of the conflict, including a postwar economic program aimed at creating long-term opportunities for growth and investment in Ukraine, as well as potential opportunities for postwar economic cooperation with Russia. The economic agreements will be included in and governed by a comprehensive peace treaty that will put an end to the killings in this brutal war; a final decision has not yet been made,
– said a U.S. official.
In Moscow, these commercial proposals are seen as an incentive for Trump to normalize relations even before the war has actually ended.
However, most of the initiatives have little chance of being implemented due to Putin’s intransigence and business concerns about returning to the Russian market.
In particular, ExxonMobil, which participated in the Sakhalin-1 project, is negotiating solely to obtain compensation for its confiscated 30 percent stake and has no intention of resuming operations in the country.
Among other ideas, officials are considering restoring U.S. airlines’ access to Russian airspace to reduce jet fuel costs during transit. Another area of focus involves resuming the supply of Russian titanium for civil aviation, a partnership that Boeing terminated following the start of the full-scale invasion.
The parties are coordinating their positions ahead of consultations in Abu Dhabi
These discussions are based on proposals that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner discussed late last year with Putin’s special envoy for economic issues, Kirill Dmitriev. A source familiar with the matter emphasized the reason for resuming such contacts:
Dmitriev’s plan was to wait until the war ended, but time is passing and the war shows no signs of stopping, so they decided to move forward now.
In addition to energy issues, officials discussed the possible sale of Lukoil’s overseas assets to investors close to the White House, a joint liquefied natural gas project in Alaska involving Novatek, and the easing of restrictions on potash fertilizer exports. At the same time, the idea was raised to transfer control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to a U.S. company for the subsequent distribution of electricity.
European partners are categorically opposed to easing any restrictions until hostilities have ended. Diplomats point out that economic concessions will not stop Russian aggression, as the Kremlin’s actions are motivated by a desire for total control, not financial gain.
As a reminder, a trilateral meeting of the negotiating teams is scheduled for November. The main topics will be the first de-escalation steps, the Ukrainian side’s security priorities, and the overall end of the war.