FT: Trump Offers Putin $14 Trillion In Economic Deals To End Ukraine War - Kurdistan24

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The United States and Russia are discussing a series of potential economic deals, including returning American companies to Russia’s oil market, resuming gas supplies to Europe, and transferring management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as part of broader efforts to incentivize Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.

A US official told the FT: “President Trump’s representatives have discussed economic proposals with both sides of the war, including a postwar economic framework to create long-term growth and investment opportunities for Ukraine, and potential opportunities for postwar economic collaboration with Russia. Economic agreements would be included in and subject to a comprehensive peace framework that stops the killing in this brutal war; nothing is finalized.”

The White House and Kremlin have discussed a joint venture involving US and Russian oil majors off the coast of Sakhalin island in Russia’s Far East, as well as involving American companies in resuming Russian oil sales to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline. Other proposals include resuming access for US airlines to Russian airspace, restarting US-Russia cooperation on producing and supplying titanium for civilian aircraft, the potential sale of Lukoil’s international assets to White House-connected investors, a proposed liquefied natural gas project in Alaska involving Russia’s Novatek, resuming gas supplies through what remains of the Nord Stream pipelines, relaxing sanctions on potash fertilisers, and transferring management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine to a US entity that would split energy between Ukraine and Russia.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, discussed potential business deals with Putin during a St. Petersburg meeting in early September, and at a subsequent Moscow visit last week wrote “Business Deals” on his notepad, according to photographs published by the Kremlin press pool.

Russia’s economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who also serves as CEO of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, estimated the potential projects’ value at $14 trillion in February 2026 during discussions with Witkoff and Jared Kushner over a Ukraine peace plan. Moscow viewed the business deals as incentives for Trump to normalize ties with Russia. “Dmitriev’s plan was waiting until the war froze, but the clock is ticking and war is not stopping, so they have made a decision to move forward now,” one person briefed on the deals told the FT.

European diplomats warned that they oppose relaxing any sanctions or making business deals with Russia before the war ends, and that any decisions affecting EU interests cannot be taken without Europe’s approval. A European diplomat told the FT: “It’s not about money. It’s about humiliation and control.” A former Trump administration official said previous efforts found little traction with Putin: “The negotiating team designed genuine offers to create opportunities for Russia to end the war, but couldn’t overcome Putin’s own paranoia.”