Trump Envoys Push Russian Gas Transit in Ukraine Peace Talks

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have urged Ukraine and European allies to consider resuming Russian natural gas transit through Ukrainian pipeline infrastructure as a key economic element of a prospective peace settlement, The New York Times reported. According to officials familiar with the discussions, the proposal was presented by the Trump administration during high-level consultations with President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European policymakers.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The initiative has encountered firm opposition across European capitals, particularly in Germany, where officials warn that reviving reliance on Russian hydrocarbons undermines continental energy security. American negotiators argue that restoring Russian pipeline flows to Europe would provide the Kremlin with a commercial incentive to halt military operations, while generating valuable transit revenues for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. Washington also anticipates that sustained inflation and elevated energy costs will eventually prompt European consumers to demand cheaper supplies. The proposal forms part of a broader, long-term settlement architecture being explored by the White House, encompassing future NATO-Russia relations, post-war security guarantees for Kyiv, and territorial arrangements. Some Ukrainian and European officials briefed on the discussions suggested that Washington could seek a share of the commercial proceeds generated from the restarted gas trade. Other Topics of Interest US Tech Curbs on Kyiv Expose Allied Dependency European media have warned US restrictions on early-warning data and Starshield expose Europe’s dangerous reliance on American defense tech. A White House spokesperson confirmed that the administration’s peace proposals incorporate economic incentives for both Moscow and Kyiv to encourage a durable armistice. Backchannel references to Nord Stream 2 According to sources cited by The New York Times, discussions between American and Russian representatives have also touched upon the sabotaged Nord Stream 2 undersea pipeline across the Baltic Sea. One source familiar with the backchannel contacts described restarting intact segments of Nord Stream 2 following a peace accord as the “simplest step” to stabilize regional gas balances. However, White House officials formally denied that reviving the Baltic pipeline project had been actively discussed in recent engagements. The gas transit proposal follows earlier economic inducements presented by Witkoff and Kushner during multilateral talks in Miami, which included unfreezing up to $100 billion in immobilized Russian state assets, authorizing a Middle Eastern buyout of Lukoil’s foreign operations, and easing sanctions on Belarusian potash. German pushback and Berlin security warnings The prospect of restoring Russian pipeline supplies has provoked decisive resistance in Berlin, formerly the largest purchaser of Russian natural gas in Europe prior to the February 2022 full-scale invasion. During diplomatic consultations held in Florida, Günter Sautter, foreign and security policy adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, pushed back forcefully against the initiative. German officials emphasized that Russian gas remains Russian regardless of whether transactions are structured through intermediary traders or third-party brokers. Former German Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned against repeating past strategic mistakes, emphasizing that Germany has fundamentally adapted its energy architecture away from Moscow. “Europe, and especially Germany, must never again become dependent on Russian gas. We saw how unreliable Russia was,” Habeck stated. The diplomatic friction unfolds against intense domestic political debate within Germany. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has polled near 30 percent in recent nationwide surveys, has campaigned heavily on restoring direct imports of cheap Russian gas to curb consumer inflation and lower industrial electricity tariffs. German and European officials maintain that restoring energy flows to the Kremlin would undermine European sanctions packages and generate billions of dollars in hard currency that underwrite Moscow’s defense industry, complicating ongoing transatlantic negotiations over post-war security frameworks. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.