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Trump Reportedly Set to Offer Putin Access to Alaska’s Resources and Sanctions Relief
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According to The Telegraph on August 13, US President Donald Trump is preparing to offer Russian leader Vladimir Putin a series of economic incentives to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
These proposals will be presented during their highly anticipated meeting on Friday, which will take place in Trump’s offer to Putin includes access to Alaska’s rich natural resources, lifting some sanctions on Russia’s aviation industry, and providing access to the rare earth minerals in Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russian forces.
The Telegraph reports that Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, is briefing Trump on these economic trade-offs as part of efforts to expedite a ceasefire agreement.
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“There are a range of incentives, in which a potential mineral/rare earth deal could be one,” a source with knowledge of the proposals told The Telegraph. This deal would grant Putin access to valuable minerals in Ukraine’s eastern regions, particularly lithium, which is used in the production of batteries.
Ukraine is believed to hold 10 percent of the world’s lithium reserves, two-thirds of which are located in areas under Russian control.
Trump also discussed lifting sanctions on Russian airlines, a move that could benefit US manufacturers like Boeing. Russian airlines, currently operating a fleet of over 700 planes, could once again turn to American suppliers for maintenance and critical parts. This comes after recent incidents, including the crash of a Soviet-era Antonov An-24 and a cyber attack that grounded several Aeroflot flights.
In addition to the mineral and aviation proposals, Trump is considering opening Alaska’s valuable natural resources, especially oil and gas reserves, to Russia. Alaska’s proximity to Russia—just three miles across the Bering Strait—makes this an attractive option for Putin’s strategic interests in the Arctic region, which accounted for 80 percent of Russia’s gas production in 2022.
However, UK government sources emphasized to The Telegraph that while these incentives may be acceptable to Europe, the terms of any agreement must avoid rewarding Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
“The sense is that it has to be presented to align with public opinion around this; it cannot be seen as a reward for Putin,” one source stated.
In an interview with Bloomberg, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that President Donald Trump is committed to ending the war in Ukraine but is determined to do so “not at any cost.”
“I think everyone has been frustrated with Putin,” Bessent said. “We expected that he would come to the table in a more fulsome way. It looks like he may be ready to negotiate, and we put secondary tariffs on the Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, if things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up.”
Bessent noted that Trump’s ability to create leverage is key to the upcoming talks, and he will make it clear to Putin that “all options are on the table.”
“I’m not going to get ahead of the president, but the president is the best at creating leverage for himself, and he will make it clear to Putin that all options are on the table,” Bessent added.
The Treasury Secretary also criticized European allies for not doing enough to enforce secondary sanctions. “The Europeans are in the wings carping about how he should do it, what he should do, but the Europeans need to join us in these sanctions,” Bessent said.
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He called on European countries to match US efforts in pressuring Russia, recalling a G7 meeting where he challenged European leaders on their commitment to secondary sanctions.
“I was at the G7 meeting in Canada with President Trump, and the Europeans kept talking about Senator Graham’s bill to impose secondary tariffs. And I looked at all the leaders around the table, and I said: Is everyone at this table willing to put a 200 percent secondary tariff on China? And you know what? Everybody wanted to see what kind of shoes they were wearing.”
Bessent concluded, “It’s put up or shut up time. The President is creating his own leverage. We need the Europeans to come in and help create more leverage.”
Ahead of the summit, the US has temporarily lifted certain financial transaction restrictions related to summit preparations. This temporary easing, which will remain in effect until August 20, 2025, covers only measures directly tied to the summit and does not involve unfreezing Russian assets or removing sanctions.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said there’s a “very good chance” he will meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin for a second time after their scheduled summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
-24ca8683eb01b729cd8fae98f952003a.jpg "Ukrainian Ratel-S drone equipped with a downed Shahed warhead. (Source: omelyanovi4/Instagram)")
-0158b6b681e3668f470de36aedad9e3c.jpg "Russian Su-24 bomber moments before Ukrainian drone strike, Crimea. (Source: HUR)")
