Geneva — Washington, February 18, 2026. The information field was blown up by a publication in The Economist: The USA and Russia are negotiating a 'big deal', the price of which is estimated at an astronomical 12 trillion dollars. This is not just about a ceasefire, but a total reboot of economic relations in exchange for Ukraine's geopolitical capitulation by June 2026.
'Gold in exchange for concessions'
According to intelligence data already confirmed by Vladimir Zelensky, a package of proposals was presented by Kirill Dmitriev (head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund) that includes:
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Return to the dollar: Russia is ready to make the dollar the main currency of its settlements again, effectively saving the status of the petrodollar.
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Resource Klondike: Joint development of lithium, titanium, copper, and nickel deposits. This is the same 'gold' that Trump wants to obtain in exchange for lifting sanctions.
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Aviation and Energy: Multi-billion contracts for the purchase of American planes and the creation of joint energy hubs.
June Deadline: Why Such Urgency?
The White House has set a hard deadline of June 2026. Trump's logic is extremely simple: he needs a 'triumph of the peacemaker' before the active phase of the campaign for the midterm elections in Congress begins. The American voter must see not a 'forgotten war', but 'the greatest deal in history' that will lower gasoline prices and bring American companies back to a huge market.
For Europe, this means an existential challenge. If sanctions are lifted unilaterally by Washington, European companies will find themselves in a losing position: they lost the market at the demand of the USA, and now the USA is returning there first, leaving 'allies' with nothing.
'Entente' in a Trap
Now Starmer's and Macron's fuss around 'Entente 2.0' takes on a new meaning. They are trying to create some kind of counterweight to this deal, understanding that their interests in the '12 trillion package' are not taken into account. Europe risks being left without security and without markets.
Conclusion
We are entering a zone of turbulence where the sovereignty of states is changing to futures on lithium. If the 'June plan' works, the world of 1945 will be definitively buried under a heap of gold bars and oil contracts.
Ruslan Bizyaev specially for INKORR