The Trump administration proposed that European and Ukrainian officials consider restoring large-scale Russian pipeline gas supplies to Europe as part of a possible agreement to end the war, The New York Times reported on October 17, citing people familiar with the negotiations.
According to the newspaper, the proposal was presented by U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. It was discussed during talks with Ukrainian and European Union representatives in Miami in October. American negotiators had raised a similar idea during a September meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
Washington sees the restoration of Russian gas supplies as a potential economic incentive for Moscow to agree to end the fighting.
European representatives were skeptical of the proposal. According to the NYT, its opponents included Günter Sautter, a security adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Sources also told the newspaper that U.S. and Russian representatives had discussed the possibility of restarting the Nord Stream pipelines. The White House denied reports of such talks, saying that any agreements would require close coordination with European partners.
Some European and Ukrainian officials suspect that American companies could seek to participate in the projects and receive a share of the revenues if Russian gas supplies resume.
Washington's proposal runs counter to the European Union's current energy policy. In January 2026, the EU agreed to end imports of Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas by November 2027.
Ukraine halted the transit of Russian gas through its territory on January 1, 2025, after declining to renew its contract with Gazprom.
Resuming transit could restore revenue for Kyiv from transporting gas, but it would also revive a significant source of export earnings for Russia.
No agreement to restore Russian gas supplies to Europe has been announced. The information about the U.S. proposals comes from the NYT's sources rather than an officially published peace plan.