Big News from the US and Russia! Reuters Exclusive: US and Russia Discuss Resuming Natural Gas Supply to Europe

Russia-Ukraine War

The sources said that those participating in the discussions include Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kushner, who has been working to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, believes that commercial cooperation is central to restoring peace. Such an agreement would allow American investors to profit after the Russia-Ukraine war ends and Russia resumes energy supplies to Europe.

In recent weeks, Dmitriev and Kushner held meetings in Moscow and New York, respectively. Although it is unclear to what extent the Nord Stream pipeline was discussed in these meetings, two sources told Reuters that the topic remains on the negotiating agenda of both parties.

When asked about discussions on the pipeline project, a White House official said: "Any agreement must be negotiated between Russia and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the U.S. Treasury Department, and must benefit American taxpayers and businesses."

However, the official also told Reuters that there have been "no discussions about the Nord Stream pipeline recently."

Dmitriev, who has long advocated for restoring Russian natural gas exports to Germany, met with representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy and Treasury Department last month to discuss potential U.S.-Russia energy cooperation projects. A representative for Dmitriev declined to comment.

It remains unclear how much interest Washington actually has in promoting the restoration of Russian natural gas supplies to Germany. Germany is Europe's largest energy consumer.

One U.S. official said that given the numerous obstacles, it is unlikely that the United States and Russia will reach an agreement on this in the medium term.

Currently, the Nord Stream gas pipeline is subject to sanctions from the United States and the European Union, meaning that any action to restart the pipeline would violate current sanctions.

Trump could waive or relax U.S. sanctions, but this move would become more difficult if the Democratic Party wins control in next month's midterm elections.

Meanwhile, Germany and other European countries are expected to strongly oppose reopening the Nord Stream pipeline. These countries are currently investing billions of euros to rebuild and strengthen their military forces to guard against threats from Russia.

A spokesperson for Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy said that the Nord Stream pipeline and Russian natural gas in Europe are under sanctions, and that Germany has already found alternative energy supply channels.

She emphasized that any decision to re-enable the pipeline would require approval from the German government, and the German government does not want to see the pipeline restarted.

Before Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, more than half of Germany's natural gas supply came from Russia, including natural gas transported through the two Nord Stream pipelines.

Since then, as Moscow cut natural gas supplies to Europe, these pipelines were forced to stop being used. In September 2022, the Nord Stream pipelines also suffered a series of underwater explosions, with some sections severely damaged.