U.S. and Russian government officials discussed several energy deals on the sidelines of negotiations this month that sought to achieve peace in Ukraine, according to five sources familiar with the talks.

The contested region is where Russia’s war in Ukraine began a decade ago. Scores of Ukrainian soldiers have died defending it. Would Ukraine give it up now?

Senior U.S. and Russian officials discussed potential energy deals, including ExxonMobil's return to Sakhalin-1 and Russian purchases of U.S. LNG equipment, on the sidelines of the Ukraine peace talks in early August,