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White House: Economic Deal With Russia Could End War—But Ceasefire Comes First
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![Photo of Lucile Brizard]( "Photo of Lucile Brizard")
Economic partnerships with the United States could offer Russia 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 remarks followed a meeting between US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on April 11.
Leavitt characterized the conversation as “productive” and emphasized that both Witkoff and President Trump believe Russia is seeking a resolution to the war.
She stated, “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.”
While Leavitt did not elaborate on specific or potential economic agreements between Washington and Moscow, she cautioned against speculating before formal negotiations.
The day before, Witkoff spoke to Fox News about his talks with Putin, which reportedly focused on the possibility of a peace agreement tied to the status of five territories: Russian-occupied Crimea and the partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Witkoff also alluded to potential economic incentives for both the US and Russia.
“I see a possibility of reshaping the Russian-United States relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities,” Witkoff said. “That gives real stability to the region too.”
Since President Trump’s inauguration in January, Washington has moved to normalize relations with Moscow, with a particular focus on economic cooperation.
Following a phone call between Trump and Putin on March 18, the US issued a statement that the leaders discussed mutually beneficial cooperation across various sectors, stating, “The two leaders agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has huge upside.”
In related news, Moscow continues to escalate its attacks on Ukraine. On Palm Sunday, Russia targeted the northeastern city of Sumy with ballistic missiles, killing 35 people and injuring 117.
