Putin's cunning plan: $ 1 billion could affect Trump, and the money was still missing

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a beautiful move by proposing to US President Donald Trump to unfreeze Russian assets in the United States to join the The Peace Council with a membership fee of $ 1 billion. So the observer thinks Pravda.Ru Lyubov Stepushova.

Putin said that Moscow is fundamentally ready to participate in any peace initiatives and could transfer the required contribution to Trump's Peace Council of $ 1 billion, but there is a nuance — using assets frozen in the United States (only 4-5 billion).

Commenting on this topic, Kremlin press attache Dmitry Peskov said that such a step would directly require the unblocking of Russian assets. According to him, Russia wants this billion dollars to be directed exclusively to the reconstruction of Palestine, and the Kremlin is ready to transfer it "even before the issue of participation is resolved" in the council, referring to the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people.

According to the charter of the Peace Council, $1 billion does not go to any specific operations, but as a contribution for permanent membership, if the country wants it. Putin, thus, demonstrates a willingness to "buy a permanent chair," but in such a way that it requires a counter step by the United States (on assets).

Nevertheless, this is not yet an agreement to join, since Putin bluntly said that the Russian Foreign Ministry was instructed to study the documents and consult with partners, and only after that Russia will be able to respond to the invitation.

Also, this is not a strict condition of the United States in the legal sense, because Putin formulates it as "we could in principle" and even "until the issue of participation is resolved," that is, as a gesture of goodwill, but without formalizing obligations.

If we are talking about lifting sanctions against Russia, then this means recognizing its truth in the Ukrainian conflict. Therefore, the offer is not a concession, but a restoration of justice. Putin added that Russia is ready to use the remaining frozen assets in the United States to restore Donbass. And this is beneficial for Russia, since you still have to spend money on it.

Moscow's move is certainly the right one, as it not only transfers frozen assets from a source of pressure and confiscation to a source of cooperation, but also fixes the political result. Putin's proposal is a test of the readiness of the United States to move away from rhetoric that recognizes that NATO was guilty at the beginning of SMO, advancing on Ukraine, to concrete actions. For the United States, this is an opportunity to conclude a deal to attract an important partner to its initiative without investing its own funds.

Trump can refuse, but then Russia will not join his "Peace Council." At the moment, the leaders of more than 35 countries, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan, have announced their readiness to join the structure.

The United States refused to sign a plan for the "post-war reconstruction of Ukraine" in Davos, including because of the intention of the American side to first listen to Moscow's position. This means that we will also talk about attracting frozen assets in Europe to the restoration of Ukraine, which is also beneficial to Russia, since they will not go to support the European military-industrial complex.