The war in Ukraine has been pushed to the background: Media reveal secret details of US-Russia negotiations

The New York Times reports the details.

What did the Russians and Americans discuss during their meetings?

Vladimir Putin personally raised the issue of implementing the business initiative during meetings with special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

At the same time, there is currently no evidence that the American negotiators were aware of the ties between the startup Polar LNG and the sanctioned Russian conglomerate.

The plan involved building a large offshore platform off the coast of Alaska to liquefy natural gas, which is produced as a byproduct of oil extraction.

The Russian company Novatek planned to become a minority shareholder and allocate up to $15 million toward the development of this infrastructure.

Secret Meetings and Funding via the UAE

In late August, a meeting took place in Abu Dhabi between representatives of Polar LNG and its parent company, Tech Wave Industrial Projects Management, and Novatek’s management.

As early as the beginning of September, Denis Solovyov, deputy chairman of the Russian company, announced that the necessary decisions had been made and that the first tranche of $5 million would be transferred.

Joel Riddle, the former CEO of Polar LNG, said that he initially believed the investment came from a company in the United Arab Emirates. Upon learning of the Russian side’s direct involvement, he and two other top executives resigned and called on the U.S. administration to conduct an investigation.

The law firm Baker Botts also warned in its memoranda about the risks of violating the sanctions regime.

“It is not only illegal but also contrary to U.S. interests to allow Russian technology to control the commercial development of Arctic gas on Alaska’s northern coast,”– said Joel Riddle.

Environmental and Geopolitical Threats

The implementation of this plan faces serious obstacles, including the need to obtain numerous permits, environmental risks, and competition from another large-scale gas pipeline project worth $50 billion.

Former U.S. diplomat Jeffrey Payette was critical of the potential cooperation. In his view, such agreements pose a threat to Washington’s geopolitical interests and create the false impression that the Kremlin can avoid accountability for its actions.

Incidentally, we previously reported that Donald Trump may be supporting Russia not so much to achieve peace as to advance his own interests. Against the backdrop of Ukrainian strikes that are weakening the Russian economy, Moscow is likely offering the U.S. large-scale business deals. William Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, stated in an exclusive interview with 24 Channel that Trump has effectively sided with Russia from the very beginning of his presidency.