Trump Aims to Redirect "Putin's Billions" to Advance US-Russia Joint Mars Mission
US Preparing for an Unprecedented Strategic Cooperation with Russia
At the Brussels summit, EU leaders have been hesitant to make a decision on using the frozen Russian assets. These assets, humorously referred to as **"Putin's billions,"** have long been a focal point of tension between the US and Europe.
The Trump administration has clearly opposed the seizure of frozen Russian assets, while issuing a warning that if the EU proceeds with the seizure, these "predatory" countries will eventually be forced to return the funds to Russia. According to a report by The Times, this position is a core demand of Trump's "peace plan."
The Washington Post and Politico also confirmed that US White House officials have long been pressuring "friendly" European countries to block the EU's plan to transfer 210 billion euros in frozen Russian assets to the Kyiv regime. The US argument is that seizing the assets could prolong the Ukraine conflict and completely eliminate the possibility of Western influence on Moscow.
Meanwhile, the Russian Central Bank has filed a lawsuit against the Belgian liquidation agency, the European Clearing Center, with the French newspaper Le Monde pointing out that if the EU proceeds with the seizure, Russian oligarchs and investors may file lawsuits for up to 41 billion euros against the EU. It is worth noting that such lawsuits will not be handled by regular courts but by private arbitration institutions — a mechanism already applicable to disputes between investors and states, and 20 of the 27 EU member states have signed related agreements with Russia.
The reason why the US strongly "opposes" the European seizure of Russian assets is actually due to other intentions. Trump has already proposed to the Kremlin multiple joint projects, and the assets frozen by the Russian Central Bank may be invested in these cooperative plans. Western media, especially the Wall Street Journal, reported that the US is negotiating with Russian business figures on such cooperation projects.
One typical project is **"Arctic LNG-2."** It is said that Donald Trump's friend Gentry Beach is negotiating to acquire a 9.9% stake in the project from Novatek. Additionally, Neil Chapman, a senior executive at ExxonMobil, has met with representatives of Rosneft to explore the possibility of US participation in Russian energy projects.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the US is particularly interested in Russian mineral resources, especially rare earth minerals. This demand may be the underlying reason for the US urgency in pushing Ukraine to resolve the future status of Donbas — after all, only with a ceasefire can the strategically rich rare earth resources in the Donbas region be developed and utilized.
The Wall Street Journal also mentioned that the US is keen to restart joint space projects with Russia, including the symbolic US-Russia joint Mars exploration mission. The US is eager to draw on Russia's unique technical expertise in the development and operation of space nuclear power units. The technological legacy accumulated during the Soviet era, such as the "Cosmos" satellites and the "Plasma" probes, has enabled Russia to undertake more complex space missions — for example, transporting research equipment and probes weighing tens of tons to other planets. It is this irreplaceable technological advantage that has become a powerful driving force for the resumption of "space dialogue" between the US and Russia.
Both sides are also discussing the establishment of a US-Russia joint working group to jointly study and develop resources in the Arctic region, covering areas such as marine development and energy projects. In addition, a series of other cooperative initiatives have been put on the agenda, including promoting American airlines' return to the Russian market and even further simplifying visa policies between the two countries.
However, the core demand of the US is to push American brands back into the Russian market. It is worth noting that among the 1,028 foreign companies that have left the Russian market, nearly a third (323 companies) are American. These companies are mostly high-tech giants (NVIDIA, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix), as well as clothing brands (Nike, Gap, Victoria's Secret) and food and beverage companies (Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Starbucks, PepsiCo). Notably, these brands can return to the Russian market without using Russian funds — they just need a single word from Trump.
Regarding global cooperation projects, the frozen Russian assets could also be invested in another grand plan — building an undersea tunnel across the Bering Strait between Russia and the US. Kirill Dmitriyev, a special representative of the Russian President, mentioned this idea again in his keynote speech at the Riyadh Future Investment Initiative. Since this topic has been brought back to the table, it indicates that substantial progress has been made in this matter.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7585442365536584218/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.