What Putin wants to bribe Trump with and why

US President Donald Trump and his cronies are eager to normalize relations with Russia in exchange for lucrative oil deals. In doing so, they are advancing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy of systematically isolating Ukraine by making its defense so costly that popular support for the country in Europe evaporates.

The ongoing discussions about a return of US companies to Russia, led by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Trump’s special envoy (and fellow New York real-estate baron) Steve Witkoff, reflect that effort. Using nebulous promises of fossil-fuel profits "after the end of the war" as a carrot, Putin is seeking to align Trump’s pecuniary interests with Russia’s strategic objectives, giving Trump a reason to declare the war over or, better yet, to force Ukraine to capitulate.

Read more about how Russia’s leader is attempting to exploit Donald Trump and the threats this poses in the column by Andrew Kosenko of the School of Management at Marist College: A bribe for Trump: how the Kremlin wants to finally win over the US and turn its attention to Europe.

The author notes that in exchange for access to Russian oil and gas, the Kremlin wants an end to US sanctions, which it hopes will enable it to continue its war against Ukraine and Europe indefinitely. The author notes that in exchange for access to Russian oil and gas, the Kremlin wants an end to US sanctions, which it hopes will enable it to continue its war against Ukraine and Europe indefinitely. 

"US officials participating in such transactions would likely become international pariahs, potentially making them even more dependent on Russia. The Kremlin cultivates such relationships," the author warns.

He points out that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Karin Kneissl, Austria’s former pro-Russia foreign minister, both accepted sinecures at Russian energy companies after leaving political office. 

"They soon found themselves welcome in Moscow and reviled everywhere else," Kosenko adds.

The author is convinced that this bribe will not benefit the United States, individual American companies, or business executives.The author is convinced that this bribe will not benefit the United States, individual American companies, or business executives.

"It may briefly enrich those in Trump’s orbit, but profits are unlikely to last in a country where murder and expropriation are a material business risk," Andrew Kosenko writes.

The Trump administration and some American executives fail to understand that, for the Kremlin, agreements and business deals are not opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation, the Marist College economics professor reminds readers.

Unable to break Ukraine, Putin will turn his aggression against Europe, Kosenko warns.

The Kremlin has already sharply increased its hostile activity across Europe.

"Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine will leave Europe to face Russia’s aggression alone, with the US potentially on the other side. And even if it fails, an attack on Europe will give Putin additional leverage to demand concessions and an opportunity to shift the domestic conversation away from his humiliating military defeat," the author concludes.