Unfreezing assets and a deal with Lukoil: what concessions the US has offered Russia in exchange for a ceasefire.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a series of economic incentives to Russia, hoping to achieve a partial ceasefire with Ukraine. Measures under discussion included unfreezing billions of dollars in Russian state assets, the sale of shares in the oil company Lukoil, and permitting the resumption of potash fertilizer exports to Belarus, reports The New York Times, citing sources familiar with the secret negotiations.
According to the publication, Washington considered the possibility of a limited ceasefire—covering either energy infrastructure or maritime operations. The proposed economic concessions were intended to encourage Moscow to agree to such arrangements.
Specifically, U.S. officials once again raised the issue of unfreezing Russian sovereign assets held in the West. The discussion centered on billions of dollars that could be returned to Russia as an initial incentive for concluding a partial ceasefire agreement. A similar idea had been discussed previously; at that time, the proposal involved unfreezing up to $100 billion.
Another potential element of the arrangements could be the sale of a portion of the Russian oil company Lukoil’s assets for a multi-billion-dollar sum. According to the newspaper's sources, potential buyers could include investors from the Middle East, some of whom have business ties to American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Additionally, U.S. representatives have revisited the proposal to grant permission to Moscow’s ally, Belarus, to export potash fertilizers. According to the publication, Kyiv did not outright reject the American initiatives but insisted on additional guarantees. Specifically, the Ukrainian side proposed offsetting the unfreezing of Russian assets with "mirror" payments to Ukraine or securing additional arms supplies in the event of a ceasefire violation.
However, the negotiations did not lead to a breakthrough. Ukrainian officials reported that meetings with American representatives in Miami concluded without significant results. Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also stated that there are currently no plans to resume negotiations.
Against this backdrop, Trump announced his readiness to open the US market to Russian diesel fuel and harshly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The American leader blamed Kyiv for strikes on Russian oil refineries, stating that they exacerbate global fuel-related issues, and called on Ukraine to elect a new president.
Zelenskyy, for his part, described Washington's decision regarding Russian diesel fuel as weak and declared that his team had been used as a cover for US-Russian agreements. In the Ukrainian president's view, easing export restrictions on Russia would generate additional revenue for Moscow to continue the war.
Thus, Washington's attempts to achieve a limited ceasefire are accompanied by offers of economic benefits to Moscow and growing disagreements with Kyiv. Moreover, Russia has not yet agreed to the resumption of negotiations, and the prospects of achieving even a partial ceasefire remain uncertain.
