US Proposes Selling Russian Gas to Europe Through an American Intermediary
The US has reportedly suggested restoring Russian natural gas sales to Europe via an American intermediary, according to The Wall Street Journal. European officials flatly reject the idea in private talks.
The United States administration has proposed resuming Russian natural gas sales to Europe through an American intermediary, in a way that would bypass European Union (EU) sanctions, the US newspaper The Wall Street Journal reports, citing its sources. The proposal concerns Europe's energy supply and is linked to efforts to end the war Russia launched against Ukraine.
How the idea emerged
According to the newspaper, the idea was put forward in September during visits to Moscow and Kyiv by US President Donald Trump's special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The White House suggested that revenue from Russian gas sales be transferred to an escrow account in a third country's jurisdiction, so that the Kremlin could not use the money to finance the war.
The US arguments
US negotiators believe that a return to the European gas market would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a strong incentive to accept a so-called energy ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. Kyiv, in turn, would receive transit fee revenue, while gas sales would open up favourable opportunities for American investors.
The idea has also been presented to European leaders as a way to lower energy prices before winter, as gas stocks in Europe have reached their lowest level in recent years.
Europe's position
Brussels' official position is that the EU does not intend to return to buying Russian gas. The Trump administration nonetheless hopes European resistance will prove less "unbending". In private talks, European officials categorically reject the proposal. A senior representative of a Scandinavian country said the idea runs counter to everything Europeans stand for. A senior official from another large European country compared it to former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's decision to sacrifice what was then Czechoslovakia in order to strike a deal with Nazi Germany's leader Adolf Hitler.
