Putin seeks closer ties with Washington while resisting Ukraine concessions

President Vladimir Putin is seeking closer ties with Washington while avoiding concessions on Ukraine, as the US eases economic pressure on Moscow and urges Kyiv to alter its military strategy. Trump's October 9 arrangement allowing Russian diesel supplies to the US, alongside pressure on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian refineries, provides Moscow economic relief. This reverses his earlier sanctions on Russian oil companies and aligns with his domestic priority of containing fuel prices. Moscow aims to separate economic relations from Ukraine negotiations, having not agreed to Kyiv's settlement terms. Previous Trump-Putin summits failed to produce peace, and the core dispute over Ukraine's territorial integrity remains unresolved.