Trump Administration Weighs Russia Business Deals Before Ukraine War Ends – NYT

The Trump administration is reportedly considering business deals with Russia before the war in Ukraine ends, marking a potential shift from Washington’s previous position that economic ties with Moscow should follow a peace agreement. The administration is weighing whether to conclude separate economic agreements with Moscow even without a broader settlement of the war, according to two people familiar with the talks cited by The New York Times.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. A US official told the newspaper that such deals could move forward because they would “show that the United States is serious about a reset relationship with Russia.” The administration also wants to create additional economic incentives for Russian elites to push Moscow toward peace, according to the official. The thinking is that business agreements with the US could “help convince anti-American hawks around Mr. Putin that Mr. Trump really does want to create a new relationship with Russia,” the official said. The reported shift comes as US efforts to broker an end to the war have stalled, including over Russia’s demands for control of Ukrainian territory in Donbas. It would mark a departure from Trump’s position last year that economic cooperation with Russia would come only after the war was resolved. Ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August 2025, Trump said Russia wanted economic cooperation but that there would be none of that “until we get the war settled.” A year later, reports said his treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, conveyed the same stance to his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 summit in August. Other Topics of Interest Trump Says ‘Major Progress’ Being Made on Potential US Army Base in Poland Trump said the location could be announced “very soon” if the plan goes ahead. Trump has repeatedly highlighted Russia’s economic potential and expressed interest in restoring business ties with Moscow. The specific agreements now under consideration remain unclear. Potential areas of cooperation previously discussed by Moscow and Washington have included energy, investment, Arctic projects and the involvement of US companies in Russian industries. After Putin met with Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks covered “economic issues and potential major mutually beneficial Russian-American projects.” The reported approach comes as Washington simultaneously pursues additional economic pressure on Moscow. The US Congress has advanced legislation that would expand sanctions on Russia and allow tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy. For now, any new business agreements remain under discussion and have not been announced as official US policy. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.