US pushes to restart Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine
The Wall Street Journal reports Washington wants Russian gas pumped to Europe through Ukraine again, an idea EU officials have largely rejected.
The United States is pressing for a quick resumption of Russian natural gas flows to Europe through pipelines across Ukraine, as part of talks aimed at securing an energy truce before winter, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US, European and Ukrainian officials.
Under the plan, put forward by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff during visits to Moscow and Kyiv in September, Russian gas would be sold on to Europe through an American intermediary, a workaround for EU sanctions that sources told the paper could also prove profitable for US investors.
EU law requires all purchases of Russian natural gas to stop by the end of 2027, and leaders of Europe's biggest countries have said they want no renewed reliance on energy from a country they regard as their greatest strategic threat, the newspaper reported. European officials cited by the Journal said the bloc is largely opposed to letting Russian gas back into its markets.
US negotiators think restoring Russia's share of the European gas market would give President Vladimir Putin a strong reason to accept a deal, while Kyiv stands to gain from transit fees on the gas crossing its territory, the Journal reported. White House officials have floated holding Russia's sales proceeds in an escrow account in a third country, so Moscow could not tap the money for its war effort.
The idea was set aside last month after Kyiv paused strikes on Russian oil refineries for close to two weeks at President Trump's urging, even as Russian forces kept hitting Ukrainian energy sites, the Journal reported. It resurfaced once Ukraine resumed those refinery strikes, ahead of three-way talks pencilled in for mid-November.
One senior northern European official told the paper the plan would undercut the very goals Europe is fighting for, while a senior official from a larger European country likened it to Neville Chamberlain's wartime bargain handing Czechoslovakia to Hitler. The Journal also reported that Washington is weighing a restart of the Nord Stream pipeline network as part of any wider settlement.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · Ukrainska Pravda, NV.ua The US is pushing to restart Russian gas flows to Europe through Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.
- 1 outlet · Ukrainska Pravda The plan, from envoys Kushner and Witkoff, would route Russian gas through a US intermediary to bypass EU sanctions.
- 1 outlet · Ukrainska Pravda European officials cited by the Journal said the EU is largely opposed to the idea.
- 1 outlet · Ukrainska Pravda The plan was shelved last month after Ukraine paused refinery strikes, then resurfaced once strikes resumed.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The European Commission said on 28 October that the EU does not plan to resume Russian gas imports even after the war ends, and EU law requires a full phase-out of Russian pipeline and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027. Only Slovakia and Hungary voted against that phase-out plan when it was approved in January.
Sources
Reported by 2 reports from 2 independent outlets in 1 countries.
Source balance
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Intelligence file
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Questions and answers
- What is the US proposing?
- Restarting Russian gas flows to Europe through Ukraine, sold via a US intermediary to work around sanctions, the Journal reported.
- How have European officials reacted?
- Officials cited by the Journal said the EU is largely opposed to the idea, with some comparing it to past attempts to appease Russia.
- What does EU law require?
- A full phase-out of Russian pipeline and LNG imports by the end of 2027.
This article was written with AI assistance from 2 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.