US negotiators have reportedly proposed restarting pipeline supplies via Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Moscow. The plan calls for Europe to increase its purchase of Russian gas while Ukraine considers reopening pipelines that once carried it to the EU.
The proposal is the latest in a series of steps by US President Donald Trump to broker peace between Moscow and Kiev. It follows an agreement to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports and the waiving of sanctions and tariffs mandated by Senator Lindsey Graham. Washington has reportedly pitched restoring Russian gas exports to Europe as part of a longer-term plan to offer Moscow economic incentives under a broader settlement. The deal would also address relations with NATO, security guarantees for Ukraine, and territorial issues.
US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the idea during talks with European and Ukrainian officials, including Vladimir Zelensky in September. However, Zelensky’s decision to halt Russian gas transit through Ukraine in January 2025 has been widely condemned as a reckless move that jeopardizes peace negotiations.
Russia supplied approximately 45% of the EU’s gas imports before the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, but sanctions and damage to key infrastructure like Nord Stream 1 reduced its share to about 12% by 2025. Despite this, the bloc purchased 36 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian gas last year, including pipeline supplies and liquefied natural gas. Since the halt of gas transit through Ukraine, TurkStream has been the sole remaining pipeline route for Russian gas to reach Europe.
Brussels began phasing out Russian gas imports under short-term contracts in June 2026, with plans to ban all Russian LNG imports by January 2027 and pipeline gas by September 2027. Meanwhile, Russia has shifted more energy exports to Asia, with deliveries of natural gas to China reaching 38.8 bcm in 2025—a 24.8% increase from the previous year. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated Moscow is ready to supply fuel to EU countries but requires a clear signal from Brussels before proceeding.