Trump Mulls Big Russia Sanctions Relief For Prisoners, Risking Wrath Of Allies & Hawks
Diplomacy is obviously stalemated and almost non-existent when it comes to the Iran conflict and Hormuz Strait crisis, and so the White House needs some level of a 'win'.
It seems President Trump continues to look for this in the years-long Ukraine crisis, as he's said to now be mulling a major deal which would see the Kremlin free some political prisoners in exchange for a significant easing of sanctions on the Russian economy.
The Atlantic on Tuesday in reporting the initiative characterized the potential deal as so sweeping that it "could outrage even his allies." Of course, the Zelensky government and Europe is actively trying to tighten the screws on Moscow.
via AFP
But the proposed plan would in many ways be a reversal of the prior policy of 'global isolation' of Putin. The report says:
Trump's envoy to Eastern Europe, John Coale, had reportedly first pitched the initiative "a few months ago," and "Trump signed on," the report notes.
However, it's said to still be early stages, but if it gets close to the finish line the plan "is likely to outrage the Ukrainians, Europeans, and even many of Trump's allies on Capitol Hill," The Atlantic underscores.
But such concerns have never stopped Trump before, and it could actually help jump-start the long dormant peace process, and possibly cool soaring tensions with NATO.
The report also comments that "any potential business deal between the US and Russia would risk funneling money to the Russian military even as it continues to terrorize Ukraine and threatens a wider war against US allies in Europe."
An important caveat which could hinder an ambitious prisoner release for sanctions relief is that fact that Trump just drastically upped the ante by earlier this month signing a bill co-authored by the late NeoCon senator Lindsey Graham which authorized the president to "impose severe sanctions on Russia and its trading partners."
So if Trump was wishing to soon strike a deal and cool tensions with Russia, why sign the Graham bill? A lot of contradictions in Washington policy remain. The Trump administration has also had a running 'love-hate' relationship with Zelensky. At times Zelensky is being berated, at others he's being praised. Like the Iran conflict, MAGA and conservatives in general have by and large been divided on the issue of Ukraine and what US policy should be.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/29/2026 - 14:45
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
Diplomacy is obviously stalemated and almost non-existent when it comes to the Iran conflict and Hormuz Strait crisis, and so the White House needs some level of a 'win'.
It seems President Trump continues to look for this in the years-long Ukraine crisis, as he's said to now be mulling a major deal which would see the Kremlin free some political prisoners in exchange for a significant easing of sanctions on the Russian economy.
The Atlantic on Tuesday in reporting the initiative characterized the potential deal as so sweeping that it "could outrage even his allies." Of course, the Zelensky government and Europe is actively trying to tighten the screws on Moscow.
via AFP
But the proposed plan would in many ways be a reversal of the prior policy of 'global isolation' of Putin. The report says:
Trump's envoy to Eastern Europe, John Coale, had reportedly first pitched the initiative "a few months ago," and "Trump signed on," the report notes.
However, it's said to still be early stages, but if it gets close to the finish line the plan "is likely to outrage the Ukrainians, Europeans, and even many of Trump's allies on Capitol Hill," The Atlantic underscores.
But such concerns have never stopped Trump before, and it could actually help jump-start the long dormant peace process, and possibly cool soaring tensions with NATO.
The report also comments that "any potential business deal between the US and Russia would risk funneling money to the Russian military even as it continues to terrorize Ukraine and threatens a wider war against US allies in Europe."
An important caveat which could hinder an ambitious prisoner release for sanctions relief is that fact that Trump just drastically upped the ante by earlier this month signing a bill co-authored by the late NeoCon senator Lindsey Graham which authorized the president to "impose severe sanctions on Russia and its trading partners."
So if Trump was wishing to soon strike a deal and cool tensions with Russia, why sign the Graham bill? A lot of contradictions in Washington policy remain. The Trump administration has also had a running 'love-hate' relationship with Zelensky. At times Zelensky is being berated, at others he's being praised. Like the Iran conflict, MAGA and conservatives in general have by and large been divided on the issue of Ukraine and what US policy should be.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/29/2026 - 14:45
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
