US Again Pushes to Resume Russian Gas Flows to Europe via Ukraine
The U.S. is pushing to resume Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine as part of an energy ceasefire deal, according to the Wall Street Journal. European governments oppose it, and no agreement has been reported.
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Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the plan during visits to Moscow and Kyiv in September, the Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 1. The paper cited U.S., European and Ukrainian officials, and Reuters said it could not immediately verify the report.
The Proposal
Russian gas would reach Europe through a U.S. intermediary, a structure that would sidestep European restrictions, according to the WSJ. The route would use the Soviet-era pipeline network through Ukraine.
A senior U.S. official told the paper that White House officials proposed putting the proceeds in an escrow account in a third country. The aim is to keep the Kremlin from using the money to fund the war, Kurdistan 24 reported.
U.S. officials see the arrangement as an incentive for Vladimir Putin to accept an energy ceasefire. Russia has so far rejected American attempts to reach one, according to the WSJ.
The WSJ also reported that Washington is weighing a possible restart of Nord Stream as part of a larger deal. The European Commission has said recently that Nord Stream will not resume after the war.
Who Would Gain
Ukraine would collect transit fees, which the WSJ described as “badly needed revenue,” as quoted by OilPrice.com. The WSJ said the plan could also create “a lucrative opportunity for American investors.”
U.S. negotiators have also pitched it to Europeans as a way to ease energy prices before winter, according to the WSJ.
Ukraine halted Russian gas transit on Jan. 1, 2025, when its five-year contract with Gazprom expired. Kyiv declined to renew it.
Why Now
The idea was set aside in October after Ukraine paused strikes on Russian refineries under pressure from Trump, the WSJ said. Clash Report covered Washington’s demand that Kyiv stop those attacks.
Three attacks on three major refineries over three days from Oct. 30 gave the plan fresh urgency, the WSJ said. Talks among the U.S., Russia and Ukraine are planned for mid-November in Abu Dhabi, with no date confirmed.
Witkoff and Kushner met Putin in Moscow on Sept. 5 and then traveled to Kyiv. Clash Report reported on the Kremlin talks.
European Reaction
Europe’s largest countries have said they do not want renewed dependence on Russia, according to the WSJ. EU law bans Russian LNG from the start of 2027 and pipeline gas by Sept. 30, 2027.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said in an Oct. 26 interview that the ban will stay even after a peace deal, the WSJ reported. He called a return to Russian gas a mistake.
In private, a senior Nordic official said the idea goes against everything Europeans stand for, the WSJ reported. Another senior official from a large European country compared it to Neville Chamberlain’s concessions to Hitler.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said on Oct. 28 that “buying Russian energy is a very stupid idea.” He added: “I can assure you that there is no European leader willing to buy Russian gas in the next few years.”
The WSJ said the Trump administration expects European opposition to be less firm than it appears. Russia now supplies about 11% of Europe’s gas, down from 45% before the war, according to the paper.
Europe’s Winter Squeeze
German storage is about 62% full, the lowest for this time of year in GIE data since 2011, as Clash Report reported. The EU average stood at about 75%.
The Dutch TTF benchmark topped €100 per megawatt-hour last week, a level last seen in December 2022. The Iran war has cut LNG supplies, mainly from Qatar.
No agreement has been reported. Russia, Ukraine and EU governments have not confirmed any deal.
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