Kremlin Declines Comment on Report Linking Ukraine Talks to Multibillion-Dollar Lukoil Oil Deal

The Kremlin on Monday declined to comment on a New York Times report that talks between the United States and Russia on ending the war in Ukraine have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar oil deal, according to Reuters.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said energy cooperation was a topic of discussion between Russian and U.S. negotiators, Reuters reported, while declining to address the specific report.

According to Reuters, citing the Times reporting from the weekend, the proposed transaction would involve oil fields, refineries and gas stations around the world owned by Russian energy group Lukoil and would require approval from both Washington and Moscow.

What the reporting says about the proposed deal

Reuters reported that the group pursuing the deal includes U.S. investor Todd Boehly, two Middle Eastern groups that have done business with the families of U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff or Jared Kushner, and an arm of the U.S. government.

The Times said Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the idea during a September 5 meeting at the Kremlin with Witkoff and Kushner, citing people familiar with the meeting, and presented it as a way to show Russians that business with the United States could resume, according to Reuters.

Reuters said in its earlier report that the White House, the U.S. Treasury Department and Lukoil did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. The claims about the structure and participants come from the Times reporting attributed by Reuters and have not been independently confirmed by the Kremlin.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.