Russian officials discussed the possibility of reviving plans for a Trump Tower in Moscow to entice U.S. President Donald Trump to reset relations, the Moscow Times reported on April 21.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Kremlin officials considered proposing the idea of a "big deal," which reportedly includes a 150-story skyscraper and would involve Trump himself attending the groundbreaking ceremony in Moscow.
After Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, Russian officials and large companies were tasked with preparing proposals for resuming cooperation with the United States, with an emphasis on ideas that would interest Trump specifically.
Rosneft, Rosatom, and Polyus Gold – all of which are currently under sanctions from the U.S. government – were involved in the plans to persuade Trump to resume cooperation with Russia. The Russian aluminium giant Rusal was also involved.
The skyscraper project stood out for its potential to be launched quickly: "Speed, effect, and spectacle are important here - everything that Trump intuitively values," a source close to the Kremlin told the Moscow Times.
It is not clear as to where the proposal currently stands, although a Russian official said that Moscow's City Hall would be pleased to take on such a project.
Trump first floated the idea of building a 58-story skyscraper in Moscow in 2013, before his first presidency. Russian oligarch Aras Agalarov was expected to be a key partner in the project, but the plans never materialized.
Later, in 2015, Felix Sater, a Russian-born American developer, revived the plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. The project was again put on hold after Trump launched his presidential campaign.
The proposed Trump Tower in Moscow would have included 250 luxury apartments, a 15-story hotel with 150 rooms, a spa, office space, a fitness center, and a high-end parking facility.
Trump declared on April 21 that Russia and Ukraine could reach a war-ending deal "this week," as his team threatens that Washington could ditch the peace talks efforts if no step is taken in the near future.
"Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune," Trump wrote on Truth Social over the weekend, referring to a potential deal.
Carl Bildt
