U.S.-Russia Ukraine Talks Expand to Include Lukoil Oil Deal — SkimNews
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- Trump administration talks with Russia on ending the Ukraine war have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar deal involving Russian energy group Lukoil's worldwide oil fields, refineries, and gas stations.
- Putin personally raised the deal during a September 5 Kremlin meeting with U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, framing it as proof to Russians they could still do business with the United States.
- The consortium pursuing the transaction includes billionaire Todd Boehly, two West Asian groups with prior business ties to Kushner or Witkoff's families, and an arm of the U.S. government.
- The deal is contingent on approvals from both the White House and the Kremlin, and the White House, U.S. Treasury Department, and Lukoil all declined to comment outside regular hours.
Why it matters: Putin himself proposed the Lukoil asset sale as a signal that Russia can still transact with America, tying Ukraine war resolution to commercial concessions. The deal would let West Asian partners linked to Kushner and Witkoff acquire Lukoil's global oil fields, refineries, and gas stations, blurring the line between peace diplomacy and private financial gain — and it needs sign-off from both governments.
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