Washington Weighs Restoring Russian Gas to Europe via Ukraine Amid Political Obstacles
Key Facts
The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is pushing to restore Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine in a proposal linked to a ceasefire in the energy sector. The available information does not make clear whether there is agreement on the plan or provide implementation details, so the proposal remains attributed to the newspaper. It comes as Europe seeks to end its reliance on Russian gas, after gas transit through Ukraine stopped. The European Commission said the flows that had passed through Ukrainian territory could be replaced by alternative sources. That puts any discussion of a return to Russian supplies at the intersection of supply security and Europe’s stated course of ending its dependence on Moscow.
The idea of resuming transit through Ukraine differs from proposals concerning the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea. Those proposals, according to Le Monde, remain theoretical and are tied to the lifting of Western sanctions if the war in Ukraine stops. The newspaper reported that work on the proposals began in February 2025, led by Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s envoy to the United States. In a separate report published by Reuters on 8 October 2026, people familiar with the matter said U.S. and Russian officials had discussed bringing an American investor into the Nord Stream pipelines. That discussion concerns potential investment in the Baltic route and does not confirm an agreement to restart it or resume transit through Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously raised the possibility of U.S.-Russian cooperation in the energy sector, saying it could secure a gas pipeline to Europe. He made the remarks at a briefing in Moscow on 13 March 2025, framing them as a possibility conditional on a broader agreement between the two countries, not as an announcement that supplies would resume. Le Monde says large-scale gas projects through Nord Stream remain tied to the lifting of Western sanctions if fighting stops. These positions show that debate over Russian gas is connected to broader political and legal paths beyond the operation of any single pipeline. The reported remarks and discussions do not establish that flows have resumed or operating arrangements have been approved.
A broader return of Russian gas to Europe faces political opposition, but the available evidence concerns Russian energy proposals generally and does not specify the extent of opposition to the Ukraine transit plan in particular. Le Monde reported opposition from the German government to restarting Nord Stream and Poland’s rejection of energy ties with Russia. Neither position should be taken as evidence of unified European opposition to the Washington proposal concerning Ukraine. The European Union’s stated course of ending its reliance on Russian gas also presents a political obstacle to any potential resumption. Implementation would remain dependent on a political understanding and the necessary legal arrangements, details of which have not been made public.
Prices moved ahead of the halt in Ukrainian transit as the interruption in flows approached. On 31 December 2024, European natural gas prices rose to 50 euros per megawatt-hour, their highest level in more than a year, according to Bloomberg. The European Commission said volumes that had arrived via Ukraine could be replaced by other sources, limiting the case for treating a return of Russian gas as necessary to secure supplies. No data are available here on price movements in response to the current proposal or an estimate of its potential impact. The price recorded in 2024 therefore provides historical context for the end of transit, not an indication of the market’s response to any new plan.
On the diplomatic front, talks between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington were expected in Abu Dhabi during November, with no date specified when Le Monde reported this. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the talks had not been scheduled and could take place between 6 and 10 November, after the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for 3 November. The absence of a confirmed date makes any link between the talks and the gas proposal uncertain. No information has confirmed that resuming transit through Ukraine will be on their agenda. The meeting date, along with any political agreement or legal mechanism for energy, remains among the developments to watch.