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.

In an attempt to put a positive spin on U.S.-led efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vice President JD Vance on Aug. 24 claimed Moscow had made "significant concessions" during the now months-long and largely stalled peace process.