what i was looking for was this.

apparently, the americans have (unsurprisingly) rejected the proposal.

but, see, it's a cynical ploy in the first place. the russians are trying to build international sympathy in the face of blatant american aggression against them, from containment strategies in the middle east to ops in the ukraine to ballistic missiles hovering over them....

http://rt.com/business/russia-usa-trade-shuvalov-111/

i've laughed at them for being naive, but it's become clear that it's a strategy: every time the americans act belligerent, they respond with fig leaves.

they know it's not going to get a response, but their options are limited. and one gets the impression that they mostly mean it, in the sense that they don't want to fight.

to an extent, i think it seems to be working. we'll have to see in the upcoming months how effective it is.