President Donald Trump said the focus of his meeting with President Vladimir Putin will be on settling the Ukraine war over business deals with Russia, but administration officials privately say there is a need to entertain carrots for Putin in order to get the wheels churning on peace for Ukraine, two US officials said.
Carrots for the Russian side could include discussions about new business deals with Russia or a possible strategic arms deal between the two countries — both of with Russian officials have spoken to in recent days.
“There is certainly a willingness to discuss parameters,” said one senior administration official when asked if Trump would entertain a conversation with Putin about a possible arms control deal with Russia.
But details of any potential nuclear deal are unlikely to be discussed at such a high level, the official added.
The administration has worked closely with Europeans leading up to the summit, but there remains an impression among Trump officials that Europe does not understand the need to draw Russia to the table.
“The Europeans have not thought about carrots for years,” the administration official said.
“It is childish and impractical,” said another US official of Europe’s aversion to entertaining any conversation that could be perceived as rewarding Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.