"If you translate Medinsky's wording from the diplomatic language, it means that the negotiations did not go very well"

Alexey Belogoryev, Research and Development Director of the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented to Business FM radio on the meaning and prospects of the mutual proposals of Russia and the United States economic part to restore relations.

In Europe, they fear that Trump may force Ukraine to make serious concessions by June, the last announced deadline for achieving peace, "in pursuit of gold in Russia," The Economist emphasizes. Can such deals be a lever of influence in the framework of attempts to reach a peaceful settlement, Alexey Belogoryev says:

— This is still a period of searching for long-term interests to both sides. It seems to me that it is too early to talk about the specifics of individual projects at this stage. There is interest from individual American companies in certain industries in Russia, both as a sales market, primarily for equipment and technology, and as a possible part of a longer value chain. Therefore, it makes sense to discuss economic and joint projects, but they may not start right away. Even after the completion of the Ukrainian settlement, if both sides remain satisfied with the results of this settlement, it will probably take another two or three years before serious projects can be launched. Moreover, the United States and Russia are competitors, and they compete very fiercely in certain markets, including the energy market. For the United States to enter, for example, into Russian LNG projects or even oil projects at the current stage looks like a rather strange idea. If we talk about a national strategy at the US level, which, in theory, Trump should promote, then the interest here looks rather dubious, since in fact we are talking about creating competitors to American exports. There is a clash of interests within the United States between the long-term national strategy and the interests of individual companies. So far, I would assess all this as a very preliminary stage and even an attempt to conceptualize what such cooperation can be, and to identify the main areas where this cooperation can be activated most quickly, but this is still a long way off.

— Nevertheless, as a bargaining chip, are such projects viable?

— If we are talking about bargaining within the framework of the Ukrainian settlement, no, because all these projects relate to a very long-term perspective. They are all quite complex, controversial, and require serious preparation on both sides. In other words, these are rather risky investments that have nothing to do with Ukraine or even the European part of Russia. We are mainly talking about projects, as I understand it, in Siberia, the Far East, and the Arctic. This is an investment in the thirties. Rather, it is an attempt to attract each other with promises of long-term cooperation.