INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
As Moscow prepares for possible negotiations with Washington aimed at ending its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is seeking a far more
ranging from rare earths deals and geopolitical leverage in Iran and North Korea to a long-dreamed-of Trump Tower in Moscow.Five current
Russian government officials, including two diplomats, three sources close to the Kremlin and employees of three major state-owned companies
official said.Searching for leverageThe Kremlin, recognizing the limitations of its negotiating position, has tasked officials and experts
agenda.Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin meet in St
and Rosneft presented their initiatives, and [gold producer] Polyus sent fresh intelligence on gold deposits to the Kremlin
find trade-offs and balance asymmetries, the diplomat noted.But unlike the Cold War era, Russia now holds far fewer cards
Strategic arms control treaties that once structured dialogue, from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty to New START, are unraveling
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), then the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)
arms control only interests Trump in the context of his competition with China
food markets and arms sales
the discussions said.There is little illusion about the fragility of this opportunity
Following a call with Trump in March, Putin said he agreed to observe a 30-day moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure
The first is to agree to a Trump-brokered ceasefire in exchange for concessions like limitations on U.S
Trump into a deal, from mediating U.S.-China negotiations to joint missions to Mars
But the Kremlin has few real trump cards.Economic proposals look weak
Even in their best years, U.S.-Russia trade barely reached $45 billion
In 2024, it plunged to just $3.5 billion, its lowest level since 1992.Today, Moscow can offer only a few commodities the U.S
still needs: titanium for aircraft manufacturing, uranium for nuclear energy and heavy crude oil for refineries along the Gulf Coast
rare earth metals like scandium, yttrium and lanthanum, essential for electronics and defense systems
But these, too, are seen as insufficient to unlock major political concessions.Regional initiatives are also limited
Washington would like Russia to halt its arms shipments to North Korea and comply with UN sanctions
But Moscow, having invested in a growing alliance with Pyongyang, has no intention of rolling back its cooperation.Iran has also been
One suggestion: a humanitarian mission in Gaza leveraging Russian-built infrastructure in Syria
Nor is a joint Mars mission considered realistic.Across all of these proposals, the Kremlin is guided by a single axiom: initiatives must be
