Trump admin pushes to resume Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine in bid to reach peace deal

In a push to achieve an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the Donald Trump-led US administration is now reportedly working to restart the sale of Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukrainian pipelines. US negotiators are of the view that such a comeback of Russian energy sales would create an incentive for Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept.

(Reuters/AFP)This comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine as the two pound their energy targets and other areas. The plan, ideated by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, would involve selling Russian gas through a US intermediary to bypass European sanctions, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people who attended the discussions.

According to the current European Union legislation, all Russian natural gas purchases must be stopped by the end of 2027. European leaders have reportedly said they don't want to restore their dependency on energy supplies from a country they consider their top strategic threat.

However, the plan was parked last month after Ukraine stopped targeting Russian refineries under pressure from US President Donald Trump -- a halt that lasted for almost two weeks even as Russia continued to hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure and began shipping diesel to the United States.

ALSO READ | Fake nuclear, chemical threat alerts flash as Russia, Ukraine report cyberattacks on emergency apps As a result, the Trump administration saw an opportunity for a better peace plan. However, Ukraine resumed its strikes on Friday, hitting three key Russian refineries over the past three days.

This has put a more urgent focus on the need for a comprehensive energy peace plan ahead of a possible trilateral meeting between the US, Russia and Ukraine in mid-November in the United Arab Emirates. US negotiators are of the view that such a comeback of Russian energy sales would create an incentive for Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept.

However, the move seems at odds with the Trump administration's Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which grants the President the power to impose up to 100 per cent tariffs on imports from the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas.

While the US is trying to push Russian natural gas sales to Europe, White House officials have proposed that Russia deposit the proceeds from these sales into an escrow account in a third country so that the funds aren't used by the Kremlin to finance the war in Ukraine, WSJ reported.

US officials have tried to convince European leaders of this push as a way to reduce energy prices ahead of a winter when Europe's gas reserves have hit their lowest level in many years. ALSO READ | Zelensky says will stop hitting Russia refineries if US provides missiles The Trump administration's push is a reversal of the President's moves in his first term.

At the time, Trump had slammed the then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel for building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia, warning that it would make Germany "captive to Russia." In late 2019, Trump imposed sanctions on it.

Over two years later, Russia invaded Ukraine and bet that Europe wouldn't bother due to its heavy dependency on Moscow, However, the Europeans saw their dependence on Russian natural gas as a risk, given the invasion of Ukraine.

Later, it passed legislation to curb Russian gas imports and to eliminate them entirely by the end of next year. At present, the EU remains firm on its stance that it won't resume Russian energy purchases even after a full peace agreement is reached with Russia.

In an October interview with a Hungarian newspaper, the office of EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen reportedly confirmed that the ban on Russian gas imports should be permanent. "I certainly would not trust Russia. Even if there were peace tomorrow, which we all hope for," he stated.

A senior Nordic official also said that the idea of resuming energy purchases from Russia runs counter to everything Europeans stand for.