Whither Ukraine?—Russia may sign trade deal with the US!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: It won’t come as music to Ukraine, or to Europe, and many other countries.
According to media reports on Friday, the Kremlin has signalled a possible US–Russia trade deal under the Trump administration, after any settlement in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
For this, Russia has identified potential areas for economic cooperation with the Trump administration, including the possible use of the US dollar in bilateral deals, according to a Bloomberg report citing an internal Kremlin memo.
Quoting from a senior-level document, dated this year, it said Moscow set out seven areas where Russian and US economic objectives align—after any Ukraine war settlement–the report said.
These include cooperation on promoting fossil fuels over renewable energy, as well as collaborative ventures in natural gas, offshore petroleum and strategic minerals that could benefit American firms.
The USA had been drawing up plans for potential sanctions relief for Russia as President Donald Trump sought to restore ties with Moscow and end the Ukraine war.
But in January, a US official said President Donald Trump would allow a bipartisan sanctions bill targeting countries doing business with Russia to move forward in the US Congress.
