US and Russia discuss sale of Lukoil assets — RMF24
The United States and Russia, an aggressor state, have been negotiating for several months over the possible sale of assets of the Russian oil concern Lukoil to investors connected to the circle of President Donald Trump. RMF24 reports this, citing The New York Times, which quotes anonymous sources.
According to the NYT, several sources familiar with the situation told the publication about the negotiations. The newspaper did not disclose their names.
Proposal during a meeting in Moscow
Three of the newspaper's sources said that Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the proposal during a meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on September 5. According to them, Putin described a possible agreement as a gesture of goodwill from the United States.
The potential deal is being discussed at a time when Washington is seeking to bring Russia's war against Ukraine to an end. Małgorzata Zachara-Szymańska, an American studies scholar at Jagiellonian University, suggested that economic benefits for Moscow may be viewed as a way to induce the Kremlin to make concessions.
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Expert assessment
At the same time, Zachara-Szymańska was skeptical about the effectiveness of this approach. In her view, if the negotiations over Lukoil are an element of a strategy to encourage Russia, they are unlikely to produce results, as Putin consistently acts in his own interests, which run counter to those of the United States and Western countries.
The expert also drew attention to the question of the boundary between US state policy and the private interests of people from the circle of the American president. She believes that the possible acquisition of Lukoil assets by entities linked to American business could reinforce such doubts.
Commenting on Poland's security, Zachara-Szymańska called it beneficial to increase the number of US troops in the country to approximately 15,000 and abandon the rotational format. In her view, a permanent presence of US troops in Poland could also become an instrument of pressure on the Kremlin.
