{
  "id": 10672474,
  "title": "A Most Trumpian Plan to Make Nice With Russia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/a-most-trumpian-plan-to-make-nice-with-russia",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-29T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Atlantic",
    "slug": "the-atlantic",
    "url": "https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/09/trump-russia-putin-ukraine-sanctions/688808/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In recent months, Donald Trump's representative for Eastern Europe approached the president with a novel approach to improve U.S.-Russia relations. This plan, still in its preliminary stages, echoes the Cold War strategy of exchanging prisoner releases for economic concessions. President Trump approved this initiative, which aims to simultaneously address multiple goals. By easing sanctions on Russia and facilitating business with the nation, the U.S. could reestablish Russia in the global economy, broaden diplomatic discussions with the Kremlin beyond the Ukrainian war, and open avenues for lucrative trade in commodities like oil, diesel, rare earth minerals, and rare earth minerals. Additionally, the release of political prisoners could strengthen Trump's case for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, this approach is likely to provoke outrage from Ukrainians, Europeans, and some of Trump's Capitol Hill allies. The potential U.S.-Russia trade deals could inadvertently provide financial support to the Russian military, fueling the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and increasing the risk of a wider war among U.S. allies in Europe. Despite the opposition, Trump has been secretly searching for ways to reduce sanctions and engage in business with Russia. One envoy, John Coale, has been testing this approach in Belarus, Putin's closest ally. Coale managed to release hundreds of prisoners in Belarus, leading to the easing of sanctions on the regime there. Now, Coale is attempting to replicate this strategy with the Russian government. The U.S. has avoided trade deals with Russia since the start of the Ukraine war, but this new potash deal with Belarus could be an exception. Ukrainians, particularly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, vehemently oppose any relaxation of sanctions on Russia. The Russian economy is significantly larger than Ukraine's, making it challenging to compare their economic impacts. Since Putin's 2014 invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe have imposed various sanctions targeting Russia's political leaders, industry, banking system, energy sector, and other sources of income needed to sustain the war effort. In a recent speech at the United Nations, Zelensky called for intensified and enforced sanctions against Russia, including the new measures introduced by Trump. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, described the potential economic benefits of these peace deals, emphasizing that they could serve as incentives for both sides to reach a cease-fire. However, for Ukrainians, peace is not solely about economic gains; they also demand robust security guarantees from Western allies to prevent future Russian aggression. These negotiators argue that any prosperity agreements with Russia would not serve as effective security guarantees for Ukraine but could instead provide Putin with additional resources to continue the conflict.",
  "summary": "Trump’s envoy wants to trade Russian political prisoners for U.S. sanctions relief, creating a path to business deals before the war in Ukraine ends.",
  "key_points": [
    "Trump's envoy John Coale released prisoners in Belarus, easing sanctions",
    "U.S. aims to ease Russia sanctions, boost trade, and win Nobel Peace Prize",
    "Opposition from Ukrainians, Europeans, and some Capitol Hill allies"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}