Putin Reportedly Pitched $20 Billion Lukoil Asset Deal During Ukraine Talks

Vladimir Putin reportedly raised the potential sale of roughly $20 billion in global assets belonging to Russian oil giant Lukoil during Ukraine peace talks with Trump's envoys at the Kremlin in September, according to The New York Times.
The leading bidding group reportedly includes a Trump donor and two Middle Eastern groups with previous business ties to Jared Kushner or Steve Witkoff's family. The NYT found no evidence that either envoy would personally profit from the transaction.
Any potential sale would still require approval from both the US and Kremlin, putting the future of Lukoil's international assets at the intersection of energy markets, sanctions and geopolitical negotiations.