Western Firms Balk at Price of Admission for Return to Russia
Tempted by talk of rapprochement between Washington and Moscow, companies remain wary of a radically changed Russian market.
McDonald's stopped its operations in Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Photographer: Alexender Newmenove/AP
Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to draw up a new legal framework for companies seeking to invest in Russia. It’s the most concrete sign yet that Moscow is preparing for a day when it believes sanctions will be lifted and some investment welcomed back.
But, said one Kremlin official, “nobody is knocking on the door yet” underlining the tentative nature of the approaches taken by companies — some of whom never fully left — to restoring their operations in the country, as US President Donald Trump pushes for a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.