Putin was forced to pay Rs 2.2 crore in cash to refuel jets in Alaska. Here’s why

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly had to spend almost $250,000 (around Rs 2.2 crore) in cash to refuel three aircraft during his summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska on August 15.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that the Russian team had to make the payment in cash to refuel their planes in Alaska.

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Notably, the Trump-Putin talks produced general remarks about progress on some issues but did not result in concrete steps towards a ceasefire in Ukraine, something Donald Trump had mentioned before the meeting.

This brings us back to the key question: Why did Putin need to pay in cash for refuelling?

Let’s take a look at this:

Why Putin had to pay in cash for jet refuelling

When Vladimir Putin arrived in Alaska on August 15 for a key meeting with US President Donald Trump, he received a formal red carpet welcome.

However, his delegation had to pay for refuelling their jets in cash. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this was a direct result of existing US sanctions.

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Media reports said that the Russian leader had to spend nearly $250,000 (about Rs 2.2 crore) in cash to refuel three aircraft.

“When the Russians landed in Alaska, they were there to refuel. They had to offer to pay in cash to refuel their aeroplanes because they can’t use our banking system,” Rubio told NBC News.

He added that all sanctions remained fully in place and continued to limit Russian access to global finance.

“They face consequences every single day, but the bottom line is that it has not altered the direction of this war. That doesn’t mean those sanctions were inappropriate; it means it hasn’t altered the outcome of it,” he said.

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Russian officials and journalists travelling with them also said they could not use local mobile networks or bank cards during their stay, according to The Moscow Times.

US authorities temporarily lifted travel restrictions for sanctioned Russian officials until August 20 to allow the Anchorage summit to take place.

Earlier this year, Washington made a similar exception for Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who was able to travel to the US capital for talks with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in April despite being on the sanctions list.

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US sanctions on Russia

When asked why the US does not impose additional sanctions to push Russia towards a ceasefire, Marco Rubio said he did not think new measures would make Putin comply.

He added that Russia is already facing strict sanctions, which serve as consequences for refusing a ceasefire. However, he added that there is no proof that further steps would have an immediate effect “because sanctions take months and sometimes years to bite.”

After meeting Putin in Alaska, Donald Trump appeared to soften his approach, claiming the summit “went well” and rating it “10/10” in a Fox News interview.

“I may have to think about it (sanctions) in two or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that immediately,” Trump said, despite recently taking a tougher tone on Moscow.

He added , “If I did secondary sanctions now, that would be devastating for them,” without giving further details on possible action.

Earlier, Trump had surprised India with a new 25% tariff on goods over its continued purchase of Russian oil, adding to a previous 25% levy and bringing the total to 50%.

New Delhi called the move “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” warning it could hurt textiles, leather and marine exports.

Notably, Trump had previously warned Russia of “very severe consequences” if Putin did not reach a peace deal to end the Ukraine war , which is now in its fourth year.

Meanwhile, the UK government said on Tuesday that European leaders are considering further sanctions to increase pressure on Putin as part of wider efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

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