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The $12 trillion US-Russia deal that scares Ukraine
2026-02-08 16:48:07 / BOTA
Days after negotiations to stop Russia's war in Ukraine ended inconclusively in Abu Dhabi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia and the United States were discussing bilateral economic deals worth about $12 trillion, including deals that would affect Ukraine.
Zelensky said intelligence sources showed him documents setting out a framework for US-Russia economic cooperation that he called the "Dmitriev package" - named after Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been a central figure in negotiations over a possible ceasefire.
President Donald Trump has previously cited the possibility of sanctions relief and renewed economic cooperation with Russia as incentives for Moscow to agree to stop the war. Putin, however, has insisted that Russia will achieve its objectives in Ukraine one way or another.
Dmitriev drafted a 28-point peace plan with Trump's envoy to the talks, Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, which included sections on the gradual lifting of sanctions and the creation of long-term economic development projects between Russia and Ukraine.
However, Zelensky, supported by European leaders and some members of Congress, has insisted that the sanctions regime against Russia must be tightened, to deprive the Russian war machine of Western revenue and technological components.
"We are not aware of all their bilateral economic or business agreements, but we are receiving some information on this issue," Zelensky said during a briefing with reporters on Friday, according to a transcript released on Saturday.
"There are also various signals, both in the media and elsewhere, that some of these agreements may also include issues related to Ukraine - for example, our sovereignty or the security of Ukraine," Zelensky said. "We are making it clear that Ukraine will not support any such agreement, even a possible one, for us that is made without us."
Zelensky's concerns came as Moscow launched another major airstrike on Ukraine's energy sector, plunging large parts of the country into darkness and freezing temperatures on Saturday. The attack also caused Ukraine's nuclear power plants to reduce their power output after "military activity affected electrical substations and disrupted several power lines," the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote in X.
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