The Trump administration has spent recent weeks negotiating potential business deals with Vladimir Putin and has discussed lifting sanctions, including on Moscow’s flagship government investment fund, according to an analysis published by The New York Times. In some cases, the piece says, sanctions relief has already happened.
The article, written by a German journalist, says some observers view the moves as favoritism toward an autocrat Trump has appeared to admire, and as an attempt to lower U.S. fuel prices ahead of midterm elections. The administration, the piece says, presents the deals as part of a broader effort to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The author describes the situation as a case of déjà vu. As Berlin bureau chief a few years ago, the writer reported extensively on Germany’s longstanding policy of trying to shape Russian behavior through business and energy ties. Even after Moscow invaded Crimea, Berlin approved another major gas pipeline, according to the account. Germany abandoned that policy only after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The analysis argues that Germany’s failed Russia policy offers lessons for the Trump administration. It cites several recent developments. Last month, colleagues reported that the administration wanted a U.S.-led consortium to buy the international assets of one of Russia’s largest energy companies, in a potential Lukoil deal. The administration also waived some U.S. sanctions to buy Russian diesel and pressed Europe to resume buying Russian gas, the piece says. It further notes that the administration considered a proposal to buy Russian technology to gain access to and liquefy natural gas in Alaska.
The writer characterizes these steps as a form of “Ostpolitik,” the German term for the policy of engagement with Moscow, and uses Germany’s experience to question whether economic incentives can reliably change Putin’s behavior.
Sources: The New York Times World.