President Putin left open the possibility of mineral exploitation cooperation with the US, saying there is “light at the end of the tunnel” for relations under Trump.
“With the appearance of President Donald Trump, I think there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. We had a very good, meaningful and frank meeting in Alaska,” Russian President Putin said on August 22, referring to the summit with his US counterpart last week.
The Russian leader said the next steps in bilateral relations would depend on the US side, but he believed relations between the two countries would be restored under President Trump.
Putin did not provide details on possible cooperation between Moscow and Washington in the Arctic, but said the region had “huge” mineral reserves and that Russian gas company Novatek was already operating there.
“We are discussing with our American partners the possibility of cooperation in this area. Not only in the Arctic, but also in Alaska. No one has such technologies as Russia today. This is of great interest to our partners, including our American partners,” Putin said.
Trump and Putin held a one-on-one meeting in Alaska for more than three hours on August 15. The two leaders held a quick press conference to announce the results of their discussions and left open the possibility of another summit in the near future.
Moscow and Washington have both said they see huge economic opportunities if they can normalize relations, after bilateral ties plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War over the conflict in Ukraine.