What happened
A recent visit by Kirill Dmitriev, President Vladimir Putin's envoy and head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, to Washington has sparked discussions about potential US-Russia business deals. Dmitriev met with officials from the US Treasury and Energy departments to discuss a settlement and possible energy projects after the war in Ukraine.
The talks were described as constructive, but no announcement was made. This visit came after President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop striking Russian refineries, citing concerns over rising diesel prices. However, Ukraine sees refinery strikes as a way to impose costs on Russia.
Additionally, there are reports of the Trump administration considering business agreements with Russia before the war ends, in the hopes that the prospect of profit might encourage influential Russians to press Putin for peace. Another proposal backed by Trump seeks to ease sanctions on Russia in exchange for the release of political prisoners.
Ukrainian sources have expressed skepticism about these proposals, stating that they offer Moscow concessions without requiring significant changes in its conduct. Russian oligarchs are unlikely to challenge Putin, and freeing prisoners would not be a significant cost for Moscow.
The idea of using business deals to persuade Putin to end the war has been met with criticism, with one senior Ukrainian source calling it
