Economic partnership with US could spur Russia to end war, White House says
Economic partnerships with the United States could provide Russia with an incentive to end the full-scale war against Ukraine, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing on April 15.
Leavitt’s comments come shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, met personally with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on April 11.
The conversation with Putin was “productive,” Leavitt told reporters.
"(Witkoff) believes that Russia wants to end this war and the president believes that as well," she said.
“There is an incentive for Russia to end this war and perhaps that could be economic partnerships with the United States. But we need to see a ceasefire first and the president and the presidential envoy, Witkoff, made that very clear to the Russians."
Leavitt did not specify any current or potential economic agreements between Washington and Moscow in her comments, saying she did not want to get ahead of the official negotiations.
The previous day, Witkoff told Fox News that his talks with Putin centered around a possible peace deal based on the status of “five territories” — ostensibly Russian-occupied Crimea and the partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Witkoff also hinted at economic incentives for the U.S. and Russia.
“I see a possibility of reshaping the Russian-United States relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities,” he said. “That gives real stability to the region too."
Since Trump took office in January, Washington has taken steps to normalize relations with Moscow, with an emphasis on economic ties. Following a phone call between Trump and Putin on March 18, the Kremlin said the leaders were interested in developing “mutually beneficial cooperation” in a number of sectors. The White House later touted the potential for “enormous economic deals” between the two countries.
The Trump administration is also pursuing a minerals deal with Kyiv that would give the U.S. broad control over revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources. The U.S. claims the agreement would help protect Ukraine against Russian aggression, though it includes no security guarantees.
While the Trump administration insists the Kremlin is ready to make peace, Russia continues to launch deadly attacks on Ukraine’s civilian centers. Russia targeted the northeastern city of Sumy with ballistic missiles the morning of Palm Sunday, killing 35 people and injuring 117.
Russia also refuses to accept Washington’s call for a full 30-day ceasefire — a proposal Kyiv has already backed. A partial truce covering energy infrastructure has repeatedly been violated by Russian forces.
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk