Russia Signals Openness to US Trade if Ukraine Terms Dropped, Says Kremlin
Kremlin Comments on US-Russia Economic Relations and Ukraine Conflict
MOSCOW, May 13 (Reuters) - Russia is interested in joint economic projects with the United States if Washington stops linking trade ties with a peace deal on Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
Kremlin's Position on Economic Cooperation
In his daily briefing call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also reiterated tough terms for ending the war, which President Vladimir Putin set out nearly two years ago and Ukraine has emphatically rejected.
Both Russian and U.S. companies could potentially profit from a number of joint investment and economic projects, Peskov said.
Potential Joint Projects
"To the extent that the American side is willing to delink the prospects for normalising trade and economic relations from a Ukrainian settlement, or to the extent that a Ukrainian settlement occurs, then we hope the path to the implementation of a whole range of economic projects will be open," he said.
Arctic and Alaska Opportunities
Putin has said there is potential for Russia and the U.S. jointly to exploit huge mineral reserves in the Arctic, and has also floated the possibility of projects in Alaska.
His investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a key figure in talks between Moscow and Washington, has even proposed the construction of a "Putin-Trump" rail tunnel under the Bering Strait to link the two countries.
Current Obstacles and Political Context
For now, however, Russia remains under sweeping U.S. sanctions, largely linked to the war. Trump's efforts to end it have yielded no breakthrough to date, even though both he and Putin have said in recent days that they believe an end to the conflict is near after well over four years of intense fighting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he does not believe Russia has any intention of stopping the war.
Putin's Terms for Ceasefire
Peskov reiterated conditions that Putin set out in June 2024, when he said a ceasefire and negotiations could take place only if Ukraine withdraws from territory it still holds in four regions Russia says it has annexed.
Ukraine's Response
Ukraine rejected those conditions as absurd, and has refused to surrender land it has successfully defended since 2022. Russia currently controls about 20% of the country.
(Reporting by Dmitry AntonovWriting by Lucy Papachristou and Mark TrevelyanEditing by Peter Graff)
