The U.S. has offered Russia three economic incentives in exchange for a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to The New York Times
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has offered Moscow three major economic concessions in order to secure a limited ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. Among the possible steps are unfreezing frozen Russian assets, selling a portion of Lukoil’s assets, and resuming exports of Belarusian potash fertilizers.
According to the publication, the proposals were discussed in late September during diplomatic talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Officials familiar with the discussions shared details of the closed-door negotiations with journalists.
The first incentive could have been the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Russian state assets frozen in Western countries. These funds were viewed as a preliminary incentive for Moscow, rather than as a reward for fulfilling the agreements reached. A similar initiative was discussed last year, when there was talk of potentially unfreezing assets worth up to $100 billion.
The second proposal concerned the sale of a portion of Russian oil company Lukoil’s assets to a group of investors from the Middle East. According to The New York Times, some potential buyers had business ties to American negotiators.
A third incentive could have been the resumption of potash fertilizer exports from Belarus. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned to discussions on this initiative.
In exchange for economic concessions, the U.S. side sought the Kremlin’s agreement to a limited ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. Specifically, they considered options such as halting strikes on energy infrastructure or ceasing hostilities at sea.
Ukraine did not immediately reject such proposals but insisted on additional guarantees. Kyiv, in particular, proposed providing commensurate payments to Ukraine in the event that Russian assets were unfrozen or guaranteeing additional military aid in the event that Moscow violated the ceasefire.
At the same time, as The New York Times notes, Ukrainian officials were surprised by the scale of concessions Washington was willing to make in order to reach an agreement with Russia.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to purchase Russian diesel fuel. Following this, Washington temporarily eased sanctions restrictions on its export.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the Ukrainian and American delegations in Miami ended without a breakthrough. The Kremlin also did not confirm its readiness to immediately resume the peace process. Advisor to the Russian dictator Yuri Ushakov stated that Moscow has yet to decide when to return to the negotiating table.
On October 9, following a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump announced an agreement to supply millions of metric tons of Russian diesel fuel to the U.S.
This was reported by The New York Times.
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