Washington and Moscow discuss major energy deal

The New York Times revealed on Saturday that US-Russian negotiations regarding ending the war in Ukraine have expanded to include a multi-billion dollar oil deal concerning assets belonging to Russia's Lukoil. The newspaper reported that the agreement, which remains conditional on approval from the US government and the Kremlin, encompasses a wide range of oil fields, refineries, and gas stations owned by Lukoil, one of Russia's largest energy companies. Eight individuals familiar with the negotiations, which have lasted for months, stated that the details shed new light on the Trump administration's approach to ending the four-year war that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. The individuals spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. According to three people familiar with a meeting held in the Kremlin on September 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin brought up the deal during his meeting with Witkoff and Kushner. One of those individuals noted that Putin proposed finalizing the agreement as a way to demonstrate that Russians can conduct business with the United States.