U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized that the United States will not engage in business relations with Russia while the war in Ukraine continues. He made this statement while commenting on the possibility of entering into trade agreements following a meeting in Alaska that took place on August 15. According to Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to gain access to the American economy and brought numerous businessmen from Russia to the negotiations, but the U.S. remains steadfast in its position.
This is reported by Finway
“I noticed that he brought a lot of businessmen from Russia with him. They want to do business. But we will not do business with them until we end the war”
Exxon’s return to the Sakhalin-1 project in question
Amid negotiations, Putin signed a decree on August 15 that opens the possibility for foreign investors, including the American oil company Exxon, to regain their stakes in the large oil and gas project “Sakhalin-1.” Previously, Exxon owned 30% of this project, but after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the company relinquished its stake, incurring losses of $4.6 billion.
The new decree stipulates that for foreign investors to regain their shares, they must facilitate the lifting of Western sanctions, enter into contracts for the supply of necessary equipment, and make financial transfers to the accounts of the “Sakhalin-1” project.
The U.S. considered the idea of using Russian icebreakers
As part of the preparations for the summit between Trump and Putin, the American side also explored the possibility of utilizing Russian nuclear icebreakers to support gas and LNG projects in Alaska. This could have been one of the potential agreements between the countries; however, the U.S. currently maintains a firm stance on cooperation with Russia until the war in Ukraine is concluded.