Focus on the BIG picture.
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025
Outside the box.
The Art of the Peace Deal: Trump Uses U.S. Energy Power to End Ukraine-Russia War and Dominate China.
Washington uses energy leverage to push for a Ukraine ceasefire, open billion-dollar deals, and weaken Russia-China ties.
American and Russian officials have discussed several energy deals alongside negotiations this month on ending the war in Ukraine.
These deals were raised as incentives to encourage the Kremlin to agree to peace in exchange for easing sanctions, senior officials said.
Russia has been cut off from most international investment in its energy sector and from securing major deals due to sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Among the options discussed was the potential return of ExxonMobil to Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project.
Another possibility raised was Russia purchasing American equipment for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, such as Arctic LNG 2, which is currently under Western sanctions.
A further idea was for the United States to buy nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels from Russia.
The talks took place during U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow earlier this month, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Additional discussions were also held within the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to other sources.
“The White House really wanted to have a headline after the Alaska summit, to announce a big investment deal,” one source said.
“That way Trump feels he achieved something.” Trump and his national security team continue to engage with Russian and Ukrainian officials ahead of a bilateral meeting aimed at stopping the bloodshed and ending the war, a White House official said in response to questions about the deals.
“It is not in the national interest to continue to negotiate these issues publicly,” the official added.
A spokesman for Dmitriev declined to comment, as did the companies whose names were raised in the talks.
Trump has threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia unless peace talks progress and to levy harsh tariffs on India, a key customer of Russian oil.
Such measures would make it harder for Russia to maintain its current level of oil exports.
Trump’s deal-making style was evident earlier in discussions on Ukraine, when officials examined ways for the United States to revive the flow of Russian gas to Europe.
Those plans were stalled by Brussels, which put forward proposals to fully end Russian gas imports by 2027.
The latest discussions have shifted toward bilateral deals between the United States and Russia, moving away from the European Union, which has remained firm in its support for Ukraine.
Washington is seeking to encourage Russia to buy American technology instead of Chinese, as part of a broader strategy to isolate China and weaken ties between Beijing and Moscow, one source said.
China and Russia declared a “no limits” strategic partnership just days before Putin sent forces into Ukraine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Putin more than 40 times over the past decade, and in recent months Putin has described China as an ally.
These deals were raised as incentives to encourage the Kremlin to agree to peace in exchange for easing sanctions, senior officials said.
Russia has been cut off from most international investment in its energy sector and from securing major deals due to sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Among the options discussed was the potential return of ExxonMobil to Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project.
Another possibility raised was Russia purchasing American equipment for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, such as Arctic LNG 2, which is currently under Western sanctions.
A further idea was for the United States to buy nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels from Russia.
The talks took place during U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow earlier this month, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Additional discussions were also held within the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to other sources.
“The White House really wanted to have a headline after the Alaska summit, to announce a big investment deal,” one source said.
“That way Trump feels he achieved something.” Trump and his national security team continue to engage with Russian and Ukrainian officials ahead of a bilateral meeting aimed at stopping the bloodshed and ending the war, a White House official said in response to questions about the deals.
“It is not in the national interest to continue to negotiate these issues publicly,” the official added.
A spokesman for Dmitriev declined to comment, as did the companies whose names were raised in the talks.
Trump has threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia unless peace talks progress and to levy harsh tariffs on India, a key customer of Russian oil.
Such measures would make it harder for Russia to maintain its current level of oil exports.
Trump’s deal-making style was evident earlier in discussions on Ukraine, when officials examined ways for the United States to revive the flow of Russian gas to Europe.
Those plans were stalled by Brussels, which put forward proposals to fully end Russian gas imports by 2027.
The latest discussions have shifted toward bilateral deals between the United States and Russia, moving away from the European Union, which has remained firm in its support for Ukraine.
Washington is seeking to encourage Russia to buy American technology instead of Chinese, as part of a broader strategy to isolate China and weaken ties between Beijing and Moscow, one source said.
China and Russia declared a “no limits” strategic partnership just days before Putin sent forces into Ukraine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Putin more than 40 times over the past decade, and in recent months Putin has described China as an ally.
