End of the war? The US wants Russian gas back in Europe

The US administration is considering restoring the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine. As reported by “The Wall Street Journal”, citing sources in the United States and Europe, the idea surfaced during talks regarding the possibility of reaching an agreement between Moscow and Kyiv.

The proposal was reportedly presented by American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during September talks in Moscow and Kyiv. It involves using existing pipelines through which Russian resources reached the European market for years.

Gas transit through Ukraine was suspended on 1 January 2025, following the expiry of the agreement between the parties. Kyiv refused to extend it, citing ongoing Russian aggression.

Russian gas in exchange for a truce?

According to American assumptions, resuming gas supplies could provide an incentive for Moscow to limit attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In exchange, Ukraine would refrain from strikes on Russian oil and gas sector facilities.

Washington is also considering a solution where the sale of Russian gas would take place through an American entity. The money obtained this way would be placed in a special account, limiting Russia’s ability to use it to finance war operations.

Ukraine could also earn from the resumption of transit by collecting fees for the transport of the resource through its territory.

However, it is not known whether Moscow would be ready to accept such conditions. Russia has previously rejected proposals regarding the limitation of attacks on energy infrastructure.

Europe does not want Russian gas

The American plan may face opposition from some European countries. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the European Union has been limiting the purchase of energy resources from Russia. The adopted solutions provide for a gradual end to Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.

According to “The Wall Street Journal”, some European governments oppose the American proposal. They fear a return to energy dependence on Moscow, which Russia previously used as an instrument of political pressure.

However, the Americans are said to be arguing that restoring part of the supply could lower gas prices in Europe, whilst simultaneously creating conditions for further peace negotiations.

The issue of possibly resuming gas transit through Nord Stream was also reportedly raised during the talks. Implementing such a scenario would, however, require resolving technical and legal issues, and above all, obtaining the consent of the countries involved.

Change in Washington's position

These reports are significant because the United States has for years opposed increasing European dependence on Russian resources. Washington criticised, among other things, the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, pointing to threats to European energy security.

Currently, the US administration is said to be considering using gas supplies as one of the elements of negotiations regarding the end of the war.

For now, however, there is no information about an agreement being reached or about Russia and Ukraine’s consent to resume transit.

Reuters, which relayed the reports from “The Wall Street Journal”, noted that it was unable to independently confirm this information.