Russia said on Saturday, 19 September 2026, that it was unaware of any US plan to conclude trade agreements with Moscow before the end of the Ukraine war, after a media report said the White House was considering using economic cooperation as an incentive to advance a settlement.
Ryabkov denies receiving US trade signals
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow had received no such signals, adding that their arrival would be surprising in light of the position Russia says it hears from the US side on prioritising relations between the two countries. Ryabkov said, in remarks carried by RIA Novosti, that the message reaching Moscow was that an agreement on Ukraine was needed first, followed by a move to other issues.
He added that this order included economic matters and potential projects between Russia and the United States. The Russian position came in response to a report published by The New York Times, citing two people close to the peace talks, which said the White House was considering signing trade agreements with Russia without requiring the war in Ukraine to stop beforehand.
US report suggests economic incentives for Moscow
According to the report, the US administration views potential economic agreements as a way to demonstrate its seriousness about reshaping relations with Moscow, as well as to provide incentives for members of Russia’s elite to support ending the war. The nature of the agreements under consideration was not specified.
Economic cooperation was on the agenda during talks held by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 5 September. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said after the meeting that the discussions had covered in detail economic issues and potential major Russian-US projects offering mutual benefit.
The Moscow talks lasted more than three hours behind closed doors, and Ushakov described them as constructive, frank and useful, without announcing a breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Kyiv the following day, where they held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of a renewed US attempt to advance the diplomatic process.
During his visit to Kyiv, Kushner said Washington was working behind the scenes to create the conditions for a potential agreement, while Witkoff stressed that the United States was seeking a diplomatic solution to the war. The two envoys also expressed hope that direct trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States would resume.
Nevertheless, disagreements remained over the core issues, particularly territory, the terms of a settlement and security guarantees. Ryabkov’s statement indicates that Moscow still views economic projects as part of a phase following an agreement on Ukraine, rather than as a separate track preceding the end of the war.
