U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he wants to return to doing business with Russia and Ukraine. He suggested, however, that this would happen after the war ends.
“We would like to get back to a life where Russia and Ukraine make a deal, and then we would be able to do business with both sides,” Trump told reporters in Florida after casting his ballot in the midterm elections. He pointed to the minerals agreement already signed with Kyiv. “We will certainly be doing business with Ukraine and with Russia after this war ends,” he added.
The American president was responding to a question about a potential investment by Russian companies in a major gas hub project in Alaska. Trump declined to comment on those reports but spoke about a general return to business with Russia.
The New York Times reported that one of the American companies involved in developing LNG deposits in Alaska, Polar LNG, used money from the Russian energy company Novatek. The money was reportedly disguised as an investment from the United Arab Emirates. Novatek is also said to be seeking to acquire a stake in the American company.
During the Saturday conversation with reporters, First Lady Melania Trump, who accompanied the president, confirmed that she had spoken with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine and that both had agreed to a local ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town near Kherson. The truce is intended to allow the evacuation of about 2,000 remaining residents of the town, who for the past several weeks have been cut off from supplies of food and basic goods.
The truce is to begin Oct. 29, and civilian officials from both sides are to travel to Oleshky. They are to be accompanied by a crew from the Newsmax television network to document the situation.
From Washington, Oskar Górzyński (PAP)
