How Trump and Putin will negotiate on crypto: important insights

On August 15, US President Donald Trump will meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The meeting is expected to yield concrete decisions and agreements on ending the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. However, the parties will also discuss other issues. For example, sanctions, financial markets, and cryptocurrencies. This was reported to GetBlock AML Research by a source close to the Grinex/Garantex crypto exchange.

What does crypto have to do with it

Russia’s position in the upcoming negotiations includes the thesis that the current economic sanctions, including those targeting the cryptocurrency infrastructure (for example, against the Grinex/Garantex exchange and the BitRiver miner), are hindering the normalization of Russian-American relations, the source claims. According to the source, the US side already has a countercondition for lifting sanctions against Russian cryptocurrency infrastructure: the United States expects Russia to strengthen measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

Positive scenario

Negotiating teams from the US and Russia have already outlined a number of initiatives that could be implemented after the normalization of Russian-American relations and the lifting of sanctions. According to the source, in this case:

• There will be a partial lifting of sanctions against certain Russian cryptocurrency platforms, provided that certain AML/KYC obligations are met;
• A bilateral working group on digital assets will be created (for interaction between financial regulators and joint tracking of suspicious cryptocurrency transactions);
• Russian crypto companies may be allowed to cooperate with the US cryptocurrency infrastructure, subject to strict compliance with high AML/KYC standards;
• The US may lift restrictions on Russia’s use of stablecoins (USDT, USDC, and others) in cross-border settlements.

Probability of a positive outcome

The source estimates the potential normalization of Russian-American relations and the subsequent lifting of economic sanctions at 50/50. According to him, the parties have already reached an agreement on most key issues, but a number of problematic issues remain on the negotiating table.

“No breakthroughs can be expected from the August 15 summit; it is nothing more than a gesture of goodwill on both sides to confirm their commitment to the upcoming deal. It will take some time to work out the additional issues on which the final agreement will depend,” the source explained.

Earlier, GetBlock AML Research reported that during the Russian-American negotiations, the issue of lifting sanctions on the Grinex/Garantex crypto exchange was raised in order to create the first regulated crypto exchange in the Russian Federation on its basis.

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