U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. File picture
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The Trump administration’s talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit West Asian business executives with ties to U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the New York Times reported on Saturday (October 3, 2026).
The deal, which is contingent on approval from the U.S. government and the Kremlin, involves a sprawling set of oil fields, refineries and gas stations around the world owned by Russian energy group Lukoil, according to the report.
The White House, the U.S. Treasury Department and Lukoil didn’t respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.
The group pursuing the deal includes US investor and billionaire Todd Boehly, two West Asian groups that have done business with Mr. Kushner or Mr. Witkoff’s family, and an arm of the U.S. government, the newspaper said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the deal during a September 5 meeting with Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner at the Kremlin, the NYT said, citing people familiar with the meeting. Mr. Putin proposed completing the deal as a way to show Russians they could do business with the United States, one of the people said.
Published – October 03, 2026 09:20 pm IST
