US pitches Russian gas comeback to Europe through Ukraine

Washington is reportedly shopping a plan to restart Russian natural gas flows to Europe through Ukrainian pipes, with the revived trade tied to talks over an energy ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. The Wall Street Journal broke the details, citing US, European and Ukrainian officials.

The pitch came from Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's representatives, during trips to Moscow and Kiev in September, the Journal reported. Their idea: route Russian gas sales through an American intermediary, skirting European sanctions and handing US investors a slice of a potentially lucrative market.

To keep the cash out of the war effort, a White House official floated parking the revenue in a secure escrow account in a third country, according to the report. That way the money couldn't be tapped by Moscow to fund its ongoing fight, per the Journal.

The mechanics would mean firing up a Soviet-era pipeline network that once carried gas from Siberia's Urengoy fields across Ukrainian territory to Europe. Negotiators, the report says, saw renewed access to the European gas market as a big enough carrot to nudge Russian President Vladimir Putin toward a broader ceasefire with Kiev.

There's a sizable snag. EU regulations require all Russian natural gas imports to be phased out by the end of next year, putting Brussels' rules directly at odds with the reported proposal.

The stakes are enormous. Before the war, Russia supplied 45 percent of Europe's natural gas. That share has since collapsed to 11 percent, while US liquefied natural gas now covers 30 percent of Europe's consumption. Related: Ukraine claims strike on major Russian oil refinery near Moscow.