The New York Times cited Balázs Jarábik on signs that the Trump administration may be considering larger concessions to Russia as it searches for ways to move negotiations forward.
Jarábik pointed to an important change in Washington’s sequencing. The United States is increasingly signaling that individual agreements with Moscow could proceed if Russia demonstrates restraint in Ukraine. Previously, Washington had been unwilling to conclude such agreements before a ceasefire was in place.
The shift matters because it potentially separates progress in U.S.-Russian relations from a comprehensive settlement in Ukraine, giving Moscow incentives for limited restraint while reducing Kyiv’s ability to make a ceasefire the prerequisite for broader normalization.
Read the full New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/us/trump-putin-russia-sanctions.html