U.S.-Russia Ukraine Peace Talks Include Lukoil Oil Deal to Benefit Trump’s Inner Circle

U.S.-Russia negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit US and Middle Eastern businessmen linked to President Donald Trump’s circle.

The New York Times reported this.

The deal, which requires approval from the U.S. and Russian governments, concerns a large network of oil fields, refineries and gas stations in various countries owned by Russia’s Lukoil.

The New York Times learned about the talks, which have been underway for several months, from eight people familiar with them. The sources agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because of the negotiations’ sensitivity.

According to three people familiar with the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the deal during talks with Witkoff and Kushner at the Kremlin on September 5. One source said Putin proposed the deal to show Russians they could do business with the United States.

Witkoff and Kushner, who have traveled to Russia repeatedly for meetings with Putin, argue that the prospect of restoring economic ties with the West could persuade the Russian president to compromise on Ukraine. The Trump administration has signaled that it is ready to pursue deals with Russia before the war ends to demonstrate its seriousness about resetting U.S.-Russia relations. According to people familiar with the matter, the sale of Lukoil’s assets is one such deal.

A group led by Todd Boehly, a billionaire and Trump supporter, is the leading bidder for a substantial portion of Lukoil’s international assets. Influential Middle Eastern figures and the U.S. government have joined the group.

Boehly is a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. In December 2025, he donated $1 million to MAGA Inc., a political action committee supporting Trump. He also contributed another $1 million through his investment company Eldridge Industries to Trump’s inauguration.

The U.S. government is expected to receive a stake in the deal through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), an institution that invests in overseas projects and provides them with loans. A DFC representative said that a potential deal involving Lukoil would support the Trump administration’s commitments to strengthen U.S. economic security, advance American foreign policy, and lower energy prices for ordinary Americans.

A significant stake is expected to go to a Qatari conglomerate controlled by brothers Mutaz al-Khayyat and Ramez al-Khayyat. Both attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration and later partnered with Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, one of the U.S. president’s daughters. They are helping finance a multibillion-dollar luxury hotel resort project in southern Albania.

Another major participant is expected to be an investment fund from Abu Dhabi controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser. He also controls another fund that acquired a significant stake in the Trump family cryptocurrency company World Liberty.

In September, Donald Trump said he had warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the need to stop striking Russian oil refineries. Ukraine, for its part, proposed that its partners seek a mutual agreement with Russia to end strikes on critical infrastructure.