Overview

• Sources told Reuters that options discussed included Exxon Mobil potentially re‑entering Sakhalin‑1, U.S. equipment sales for Russia’s LNG projects such as Arctic LNG 2, and a U.S. purchase of Russian nuclear‑powered icebreakers.
• These ideas were raised during U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s early‑August meetings with Vladimir Putin and Kirill Dmitriev in Moscow, then discussed inside the White House and briefly at the Aug. 15 Alaska summit.
• On the day of the Alaska meeting, Putin signed a decree enabling foreign investors to regain Sakhalin‑1 shares if they support lifting Western sanctions, though no deals have been announced.
• A White House official said Trump’s team continues engagement toward a Putin–Zelensky meeting and declined to negotiate details publicly, while Russia’s Sergei Lavrov said no such meeting is planned.
• Trump said he is weighing “very serious” economic measures if a ceasefire does not advance, and Zelensky signaled Kyiv is preparing for talks hosted by Turkey, Gulf states, or Europe while urging stronger sanctions and U.S. pressure on Moscow.