Officials from the United States and Russia discussed potential energy agreements during peace negotiations held earlier this month aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, five sources familiar with the talks told Reuters.
According to the report, these proposed deals were intended as incentives to encourage the Kremlin to agree to a peace framework in Ukraine, while also paving the way for Washington to ease sanctions imposed on Russia after its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Among the ideas discussed were:
- The possible return of ExxonMobil to Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project
- Allowing Russia to purchase U.S. equipment for liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects such as Arctic LNG-2, currently under Western sanctions
- A proposal for the U.S. to buy nuclear-powered icebreaker submarines from Russia, an idea earlier reported on August 15
The talks took place during the visit of U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow in early August, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, the sources said. The proposed deals were also reportedly discussed within the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to two of the sources.
Due to the sensitivity of the negotiations, none of the sources agreed to be identified.
Russia’s energy sector has been heavily restricted by international sanctions, limiting foreign investment and cutting Moscow off from key technologies. The proposed deals, if realized, could signal a major shift in U.S.-Russia relations tied directly to the future of the Ukraine conflict.
