US Proposes Putin Restart Gas Sales to Europe Through an American Intermediary
The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reports that the US has suggested Russia return to the European gas market via an American intermediary. European officials flatly reject the idea in private talks.
The United States has proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia resume natural gas sales to Europe through an American intermediary, a route that would bypass European Union (EU) sanctions. The US newspaper The Wall Street Journal reported this on 2 November, citing its sources. The proposal has caused outrage among European officials, as it touches on EU policy toward Russian energy during the war against Ukraine.
What is on the table
The idea was raised in September in Moscow and Kyiv by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, special envoys of US President Donald Trump. The White House has suggested that revenue from the gas sales be paid into a deposit account in a third country's jurisdiction, so the Kremlin could not use the money to fund the war.
According to the US negotiators, a return to the European market would give Putin a strong incentive to accept a so-called energy ceasefire. Ukraine would gain income from transit fees on the gas deliveries, and US investors would see advantageous opportunities.
Trump's team has tried to present the idea to European leaders as a way to lower energy prices before winter. The paper says gas reserves in Europe have fallen to their lowest level in several years.
Europe's response
Officially, Brussels does not plan to return to buying Russian gas, but the Trump administration hopes European resistance will prove less than "so unyielding". In private talks, European officials flatly reject the idea. A senior official from a Scandinavian country reportedly said it runs counter to everything Europeans stand for. A senior official from a large European country compared it to the decision of former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to sacrifice Czechoslovakia in order to strike a deal with Nazi Germany's leader Adolf Hitler.
