In brief

• The Trump administration reportedly proposed resuming transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine as part of talks on an energy truce.
• The Kremlin said the current situation makes such deliveries impossible, and the European Commission does not plan to return to Russian gas.
• The plan envisaged selling gas through an American intermediary and paying into an account in a third country, while gas storage in Europe is at its lowest level in several years.

The idea resurfaced in truce talks

The Donald Trump administration has again pushed to restore deliveries of Russian gas to Europe via pipelines running through Ukrainian territory (У Кремлі заявили, що не зможуть імпортувати газ до Європи через Україну – Європейська правда) (США наполягають на відновленні поставок російського газу до Європи через Україну – WSJ – Українська правда). According to the Wall Street Journal, the idea is meant to be part of talks on an energy truce before winter (USA chcą przywrócić rosyjski gaz do Europy. Jest pomysł na porozumienie z Putinem – Business Insider Polska). It was raised by US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during their September visits to Kyiv and Moscow (США настаивают на возобновлении поставок российского газа в Европу через Украину в рамках «энергетического перемирия» — WSJ – NV).

How it would work

Gas would be sold through an American intermediary, which would allow European sanctions to be bypassed (WSJ: USA soovib Vene gaasitarnete taastamist Euroopasse läbi Ukraina – ERR) (WSJ: США предложили России возобновить продажи газа в Европу через американского посредника. Европейцы категорически против – Meduza). The money would go to an account in a third country so that the Kremlin could not use it for the war. Ukraine would earn transit fees, and American investors would gain a business opportunity. The White House reportedly hoped that the prospect of gas sales would push Vladimir Putin toward an agreement (ЗША прасоўваюць ідэю аднаўлення паставак расійскага газу ў Еўропу праз Украіну – Nasza Niwa).

Europe rejects the idea

The European Union already has rules for phasing out Russian gas by the end of 2027. The European Commission has announced that, even after the war ends, it does not plan to return to importing this commodity. According to the WSJ, European officials in private conversations firmly reject the idea, and gas storage in Europe is at its lowest level in several years for this time of year.

The Kremlin's reaction

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the situation on the ground makes it impossible to resume gas transit through Ukraine, and that such deliveries are hard to envisage in the near future. He added that further plans depend on buyers and on suppliers' capabilities.

What next

Ukraine has resumed strikes on Russian refineries, and Russia continues to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure (США знову просувають відновлення транзиту російського газу до Європи через Україну, — WSJ – Espreso). Trilateral talks are scheduled for mid-November. No decision has been made so far. For small businesses, the key question is how storage levels will affect gas and energy prices in winter.