“Donald Trump’s administration handed European governments a series of one-page documents outlining the U.S. vision for Ukraine’s reconstruction and the gradual return of russia to the global economy”, - The Wall Street Journal reports, citing American and European officials, as relayed by Slovo i Dilo.
According to the outlet, the U.S. proposals have already become the subject of sharp debates between Washington and traditional European allies. The plan envisions using around $200 billion in frozen russian assets to invest in Ukrainian projects — from rebuilding infrastructure to creating a large data center powered by electricity from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is currently under russian occupation.
Separately, the U.S. documents outline a concept for the gradual restoration of the russian economy, including American company involvement in strategic sectors — from rare-earth metal extraction to Arctic drilling — and the return of russian energy supplies to European and other markets.
European officials met the proposals with skepticism. One compared the U.S. ideas to building a Riviera-style resort in Gaza, another called the energy plans “an economic version of the 1945 Yalta Conference”. Europeans fear that such an approach would allow russia to rebuild its economy and strengthen its military potential.
Western intelligence services assess that russia has been in a technical recession for half a year, and problems in its war-driven economy pose risks to the banking sector. Washington, however, is convinced that the frozen assets can be multiplied: one negotiation participant stated that under U.S. management the fund could grow to $800 billion.
As reported earlier, the United States no longer views russia as an adversary.