Putin seeks new deal with US to reduce tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking to dial down tensions with the US after Washington imposed sanctions on United Co.Rusal two weeks ago, in response to the Moscow's "malign activity" in multiple regions, and the launch of airstrikes last week against the chemicals weapon programme of Russian ally Bashar al Assad.

The sanctions on Rusal, in particular, were proving quite problematic, with over 60,000 Russian workers now looking to Putin for a bailout, fearing their paychecks will not come at the end of the week after sanctions saw Rusal customers, banks and suppliers rush to distance themselves from the aluminium producer.

A spokesman for Putin said the Kremlin would help the business - which was owned by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of the Kremlin - but was short on details.

In the background, the airstrikes conducted by the US, UK and France in Syria on 14 April had fed concern that a miscalculation or even an error by either side might result in a direct confrontation between the two superpowers.

To avoid the risk of an escalation in tensions, Putin reportedly wants to build bridges with Donald Trump and to strike a mutually beneficial deal.

In a first move, Bloomberg cited Kremlin officials according to whom Putin had ordered that they avoid anti-US rhetoric.

That was followed on Monday by Russian lawmakers' decision to call-off plans for a draft law to respond to the US sanctions.

Igor Bunin of the Center for Political Technologies said: "Putin is ready to make numerous, deep concessions, but he has to appear like he's not losing. He understands Russia can't compete with the West economically and he doesn't plan to go to war with the West."

In parallel, on Wednesday Interfax reported that the US government had informed the Russian embassy in Washington that for now no new sanctions would be imposed on Russian companies.