The past few weeks have seen a flurry of government seizures of Western companies in Russia. What’s (mostly) missing from the list of companies nationalized or taken under temporary administration? 

Since U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2025 second-term inauguration, Russia has expropriated a total of 20 foreign companies, only three of which were American. The list otherwise includes a recent frenzy of administration grabs at high-profile companies including Switzerland’s Nestlé, France’s Auchan and Germany’s Metro. 

The glaring omission of U.S. companies — hundreds of which remain active in Russia — is a conspicuous reminder of ongoing attempts at a commercial rapprochement between Moscow and Washington. More specifically, President Vladimir Putin’s apparently more gracious treatment of U.S. business interests in Russia points to his ongoing use of commercial distractions to divert Trump’s attention from Moscow’s increasing violence against Ukraine.

Following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Washington eased sanctions on Moscow to allow increased sales of Russian oil. The U.S. also recently agreed to buy a tiny yet emblematic amount of Russian diesel. Both moves were designed to signal Washington’s intent to ease pressure on U.S. petrol and diesel prices in the run-up to the midterm elections on Nov. 3. The cost of living in the U.S. is expected to deliver retribution against Republicans at the ballot box.

Putin last week released Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen who had spent almost five years in a Russian prison on charges the State Department said were fabricated. U.S.-Russian shuttle diplomacy — which typically features a peace-making and........

© The Moscow Times