EU rejects US proposal to resume Russian gas flows through Ukraine

The European Commission has rejected a peace plan proposal from the US administration that entails resuming Russian natural gas purchases via Ukraine.

Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho stressed that Brussels has not changed its stance.

Pinho recalled that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had previously stated clearly that no restrictions on Russia would be lifted until the conflict comes to an absolute end.

The New York Times reported that the US president’s new peace proposal includes Europe returning to large-scale Russian gas purchases through Ukraine.

According to the report, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the matter during talks in Kyiv last month with Ukrainian and European officials, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Sources contacted by the newspaper noted that some European and Ukrainian officials believe Washington would seek to secure a share of Russian gas exports.

Under this plan, the objective is to channel a share of the profits to American companies or the US government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Moscow was ready to work on supplying fuel to European nations, but noted that a signal must come from the other side.

Putin stated that Moscow must evaluate the feasibility and necessity of fuel flows to the Western market, adding that they would not wait for Europe to shut the door ostentatiously on energy supplies.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked that European nations rejecting Russian gas would make them dependent on the US and deprive them of the ability to diversify their supply sources.

Peskov noted that the US sells gas at very high prices and that if European nations pay more for energy, their industries will suffer.

The EU plans to halt liquefied natural gas imports from Russia entirely by 1 January 2027 and pipeline gas by 30 September 2027.

Von der Leyen had previously announced that the bloc would reduce Russian gas imports to zero by the end of 2027.

Russia halted gas flows to Europe via Ukraine as of 1 January 2025, when the five-year contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine expired.

Putin had stated that Kyiv refused to extend the transit agreement. Following the closure of the Ukrainian route, the TurkStream pipeline remained the only operational corridor carrying Russian pipeline gas to Europe.