As the leaders respective planes land on the tarmac in Alaska, and the world awaits the vision of both leaders on US soil, the US has reportedly readied a suite of options to punish Russia if the talks fail.
- Including sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil if Putin balks on cease-fire.
The hype has been laid for this type of action with OPEC countries increasing oil production. The price of crude oil is down below $63. The high for the year was closer to $80.
Russia Pres. Putin will be joined by Foreign Minister Lavrov and aide Ushakov. Pres. Trump will be accompanied by US envoy would WhitkoFf and Sec. State Rubio.
US stocks are mixed as the leaders shake hands. Trump exited his plane first and awaited Putin. The two leaders entered the same vehicle and drove off together. There was a B-2 bomber flyover. There is a lot there to digest. The meetup is friendly. Whether that leads to a desire to do a deal is the big question.
- Dow industrial average is up 81 points or 0.18%
- S&P index is down 12.81 points or -0.20%
- NASDAQ is down 81 points or -0.38%.
