The US wants to give Moscow a new helping hand. Donald Trump's messages have proposed to Europe to buy more Russian gas (NYT)

The US wants to give Moscow another helping hand. Donald Trump's messages proposed that Europe should buy more Russian gas (NYT) A key element of the overall plan of the Trump administration to ensure peace in Ukraine is a proposal that would completely overturn American energy policy in recent years. According to the arguments presented by the US, Europe should resume the purchase of Russian gas in larger quantities—a measure that would represent an economic advantage for Moscow and grant it renewed influence in the region, notes The New York Times. The peace messages from US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff brought this idea into discussion in meetings with Ukrainian and European officials, including with President Vladimir Zelensky in Kyiv last month, according to sources familiar with the discussions. To convince Russia to end the war in Ukraine, Americans argued that Ukraine should consider restarting the pipelines that previously transported Russian natural gas to Europe. European officials involved in the negotiations were reluctant about this idea, which would nullify the efforts made by the European Union, with the support of Washington, for years to renounce Russian gas. However, representatives of the Trump administration consider Russian gas exports as a possible component of a peace agreement, given the revenues that would return to Ukraine and what they perceive as the inevitable desire of European voters to benefit from cheaper energy, stated the sources, who discussed sensitive diplomatic aspects under anonymity. This discrepancy underscores the unusual—and, according to critics, grave—nature of Trump's renewed diplomatic effort to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Instead of exerting pressure on President Vladimir V. Putin or trying to consolidate Ukraine's war effort, the administration has dedicated a lot of time exploring economic incentives for Russia and discussing them in the context of negotiations with Europe and Ukraine. American and Russian officials have discussed possible commercial agreements since last year, but their perspective does not seem to have had any effect in making Putin give up his essential demands. And given how much European and Ukrainian leaders oppose the return to dependence on Russian gas, the proposal could further complicate the Trump administration's efforts to end the war. In a statement, the White House stated that the war "determines the rise in energy prices across Europe and causes significant economic difficulties in both Russia and Ukraine". "The United States collaborates closely with Ukraine and our European partners in developing a comprehensive peace proposal, which includes economic incentives for both Russia and Ukraine, as part of a definitive solution," it stated. "Our goal is not just to end the fighting, but to create the conditions for a lasting peace, economic recovery, and greater stability in the entire region." On Friday, Trump exempted Russia from the sanctions adopted by Congress, one week after lifting sanctions on the Russian tank, which were the most important measures he has taken so far to reduce economic pressure on Russia. Putin's economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, described the tank deal as just the beginning of what could result from his discussions with Kushner and Witkoff. "I believe we will announce some important initiatives in the near future," Dmitriev stated on Friday during an energy conference held in Moscow. "Ultimately, the ice has broken." Dmitriev reported that Russia and the United States are discussing a wide range of projects, including nuclear-powered power plants. The sale of Russia's energy giant Lukoil's international assets to a group of investors, of which the US government is also a part, is also part of these discussions, reported by The New York Times this month. A "relatively easy option" However, the proposal to resume the export of Russian gas to Europe, which Kushner and Witkoff consider a possible component of a final peace package, could be the boldest and most controversial part of the plan. For American companies, this could reduce the demand for liquefied natural gas from the US on the European market. For European governments, it could give political momentum to populist politicians who are already demanding an end to the aid given to Ukraine and a resumption of relations with Russia. "We want Russian natural gas and oil to come to the aid of German consumers and businesses," stated Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right party Alternative for Germany, in the Berlin Parliament this week. While Washington and Moscow negotiated "mutually advantageous" agreements, she said, sanctions against Russia "do not destroy its own economy". Zelensky, who criticized Trump in recent days for withdrawing the support given to Ukraine and concluding agreements with Putin, alluded to these negotiations in an interview given to the Financial Times. "The question is: when will the next transaction take place?" the leader from Kyiv said. "It might be about gas. It will certainly be about gas." Ukraine stopped transporting Russian gas in January 2025, losing approximately one billion dollars in annual transit fees. The European Union has committed to stopping all imports of Russian gas by next year. Last year, 13% of the EU's gas imports came from Russia, compared to 45% in 2021. However, as the White House seeks new ideas to end the war in Ukraine and as Trump worries about the rising energy prices in the run-up to the elections in the middle of his term, the administration is increasingly considering agreements that would facilitate Russia's ability to export fossil fuels. According to those involved, the possibility of Russia resuming gas exports to Europe is a long-term plan currently being discussed by Kushner and Witkoff. They believe that these exports are part of the economic incentives of a broader solution, which would involve negotiations on future relations between Russia and NATO, security guarantees for Ukraine, and an agreement on territorial control. Some European and Ukrainian officials expect the United States to try to gain a share in Russian gas exports, offering American companies or the government a share of the profits, according to sources familiar with the discussions. An American investor, Stephen P. Lynch, tried to acquire a Russian submarine gas pipeline to Germany, Nord Stream 2, which was sabotaged as early as the beginning of the Biden administration. He argued that taking control of the pipeline by the US would serve American interests and European security when, sooner or later, the flows of Russian gas through it are restored. Lynch stated that he is currently not participating in any negotiations regarding the Nord Stream project and does not hold authorization from the Treasury Department to involve himself in this project. However, the Nord Stream project has been brought into discussion within the dialogues between the United States and Russia, sources familiar with the negotiations stated. The Reuters agency reported this month that American and Russian officials have discussed the possibility of attracting an American investor to the Nord Stream project. The White House specified in its statement that the Nord Stream project was not "the subject of recent discussions". It also added that "any agreement to it would require close coordination with our European partners, within a comprehensive peace agreement". One of the people familiar with the negotiations stated that the Trump administration considers the resumption of the submarine pipeline project a "relatively easy option" in the event of a peace agreement. Although European officials have publicly renounced Russian gas, said that European voters, just like Americans, ultimately want cheaper energy. It is a repetition of the Kremlin's position. Putin's spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, stated in a voice message, in response to questions about gas negotiations: "The resumption of energy cooperation, whatever its form, is in our interest, but at this moment, it could be even more in the interest of the Europeans themselves." The German government was on the front line of opposition to restarting the Russian gas pipelines, even though Germany was the largest buyer of Russian gas before Putin's invasion in 2022. When the idea was brought up in the context of the negotiations concerning Ukraine, hosted by Witkoff and Kushner in Florida last week, Gunter Sautter, the German Chancellor's chief security advisor, expressed his opposition in a particularly firm manner, according to two people who were present at the meeting. A European official familiar with the German position stated this week that the German government considers that Russian gas sold through intermediaries is no different from that produced directly from Russia—and therefore cannot be the subject of peace negotiations. "Europe should never again depend on Russian gas." Germany's energy costs have risen sharply since 2022, and current and former German officials acknowledge that resuming the purchase of Russian gas would lead to a decrease in these prices. However, they maintain that such a measure would have a very high price for Germany and Europe in terms of security, including making them vulnerable to a potential interruption of supply from Moscow. "Europe, and especially Germany, should never again depend on Russian gas," stated Robert Habeck, who was the Minister of Economy in Germany at the beginning of the war and coordinated the transition to renouncing Russian gas. "Because we have seen how insecure Russia has been." However, German leaders face internal pressures regarding the war—and especially regarding natural gas imports. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which leads in national polls with nearly 30% support, has proposed resuming imports of natural gas from Russia as a means to combat inflation and stimulate the German economy. In Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD chose this week the first far-right president of a regional German parliament since 1945, deputies adopted a measure that is largely symbolic, by which they ask the federal government to end sanctions against Russia and to stop the military aid given to Ukraine. Representatives of the AfD voted in favor of the bill, alongside deputies of a party favorable to Russia, founded by a former left-wing representative, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance. European leaders are increasingly worried about the messages transmitted by the populist parties in their countries, from Trump and the Kremlin. Merz and other European leaders have publicly criticized Trump's decision to lift sanctions on the Russian tank, stating that this measure undermined the West's economic pressure campaign against Moscow. Habeck, the former Minister of Economy, stated that it is possible for Germany to adapt to the resumption of natural gas imports from Russia, even if the volume of these is relatively reduced. However, he stressed that it is essential for Europe to have and manage its own energy infrastructure in the years to come and that, from a security perspective, it would not matter if an American intermediary transported the Russian gas. "In the future, I would have been happy if an American company were part of the shareholder structure," Habeck said. "Now I am afraid, because we see that Trump seems to have more sympathy for Vladimir Putin than for Ukrainians."