“The ice has begun to crack” between Russia and America, announced Kirill Dmitriev, a key actor in the negotiations between Moscow and Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “already knows”.
Namely, that US American leader Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin seem to be already devising new, joint energy projects of Washington and Moscow. Which ones? Neither Zelenskyy, nor Trump or Putin reveal that… Perhaps, one connected to the collapsed “North Stream”? (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-russia-explore-gas-sale-europe-amid-ukraine-war-say-sources-2026-10-08/
” There’s intuition, there’s intelligence, and there are various details”. In that order of words, on Friday, October 16, Zelenskyy explained in Brussels his assessment that the official Washington and Moscow in mutual energy connections will not stop only at the recent agreement between Trump and Putin on the export of Russian diesel to the USA (https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-warns-trump-could-ease-more-sanctions-on-russia/).
“The gas deal is next. I’m sure of it. After the gas, they (the Americans?) will lift the sanctions, and other things,” Zelenskyy warned, during a stormy session of EU leaders, focused on formulating a profile of further financial and any other assistance to Kiev in continuing the fight against Russia’s “special military operation”. (https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-warns-trump-could-ease-more-sanctions-on-russia/).
Intuition seems to have partially failed Zelenskyy. On the same Friday evening, US President Donald Trump announced an executive order in which he waived “indefinitely” the implementation of the package of “hellish sanctions” against Russia that he signed at the end of September. (https://www.ft.com/content/836eddd7-3adc-4cbb-8527-7a0a7a277e50?syn-25a6b1a6=1).
“I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions and duties provided for in the Graham Act,” it stated.
The “ramp” to further sanctions against Russia seems to have been a priority now.
Meanwhile, The Lindsey O Graham—(otherwise known as a staunch ally of Ukraine) Russia and Iran Act mandates sanctions against Russian defence and energy sectors, as well as its fleet of shadow fleet of aging oil tankers.
Now, how far is Donald Trump ready to enter into new energy arrangements with Moscow, and then of what profile?Washington is not revealing its cards yet.
However, Moscow is already sending signals that the Americans and the Russians already have there something in mind.
“The ice (on the photo: Arctic ice) has, in fact, begun to break” (in relations between Russia and the US), vividly described Friday by Kirill Dmitriev, a key actor in the Russian-American negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. (https://www.reuters.com/world/dmitriev-says-russian-wealth-fund-will-work-with-us-payment-diesel-deal-2026-10-16/), during the Russian Energy Week in Moscow.
The timing of the signalled cooperation between Moscow and Washington attracts attention.
“We are effectively implementing projects with the US, at this very moment, and we will continue to do so until the special military operation is over,” Dmitriev added, while also mentioning “the use of small nuclear power plants”…
Russians and Americans are already implementing joint projects, and will continue until the war in Ukraine ends?!
