The United States has handed European partners a confidential package outlining potential pathways for reintegrating Russia into the global economy. Citing informed sources, writes The Wall Street Journal.
According to the publication, one of the documents focuses on the potential use of roughly $200 billion in frozen Russian assets for Ukrainian projects. Among the scenarios under discussion is the creation of a large-scale data center powered by the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
A separate annex sets out a broader American plan for steering Russia’s economy out of crisis. It envisions granting US investors access to key sectors of the Russian economy—from rare-earth mining to Arctic offshore drilling—and helping restore the flow of Russian energy exports to Western Europe and other regions.
European officials have greeted these proposals without enthusiasm. Brussels fears that such an approach would give Moscow time to accelerate economic growth and bolster its defense capabilities. They also argue that Washington’s framework could undermine Europe’s own initiatives to support the Ukrainian government.
One European official likened the proposals to the logic of the 1945 Yalta Conference, when the victorious powers shaped the postwar order in Europe. “It’s like Yalta,” he said. Another source added: “The outcome could fundamentally redraw the continent’s economic map.”
Washington dismisses these concerns. US officials argue that the European approach would lead to the overly rapid depletion of frozen Russian funds, which Europe intends to channel directly to Ukraine. The United States is proposing a different model—bringing in Wall Street executives and major private funds to invest these assets and thus expand the total pool of available resources.
One participant in the discussions explained that, under US management, such a fund could reach $800 billion. “We genuinely understand what financial growth looks like,” he said.