US presses to restart Russian gas sales to Europe through Ukraine, WSJ reports

The proposal

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, 1 November 2026, that the Trump administration is pressing for Russian natural gas sales to Europe to resume quickly through pipelines that cross Ukraine. The push sits inside talks on an energy truce covering the energy facilities of both warring countries before winter. The newspaper relied on US, European and Ukrainian officials and on people involved in the discussions. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff first floated the idea in September, during their trips to Moscow and Kyiv. Reuters said it had not been able to verify the Journal's information independently.

How the scheme would work

The gas would be sold through an American intermediary so that European sanctions now in force could be bypassed. The arrangement could also open a potentially profitable opportunity for American investors, people who took part in the talks told the newspaper. Under a proposal described by a senior US official, the Russian revenue would be paid into a restricted account in a third jurisdiction, so that the Kremlin could not use the money to finance the war. The US side argues that Russia's return to the European gas market would give Vladimir Putin a strong incentive to accept an energy truce. Ukraine would collect transit fees, and the network carrying gas from the Urengoy fields in Siberia runs through Ukraine to Slovakia and then on to Austria and Germany. That route could restart almost immediately, since limited volumes kept flowing through Ukraine during the war until the flow stopped in January 2025.

European resistance

The idea was presented to European leaders as a way to lower prices, but it was received coolly. Under current EU law, all purchases of Russian natural gas must be phased out by the end of 2027. Leaders of the largest European states have said they have no interest in restoring dependence on Russian energy, which they regard as their main strategic threat. The Russian share of European gas consumption has fallen to about 11%, down from 45% before the full-scale invasion, according to the WSJ. The initiative also runs against the first Trump administration's criticism of Nord Stream 2, which Trump said would make Germany a hostage of Russia. European gas reserves have reached their lowest seasonal level in years heading into winter, and the newspaper's sources said the administration expects European resistance to be less firm than publicly stated.

Before full-scale invasion45%

Latest WSJ figure11%

Before full-scale invasion

45 %

Latest WSJ figure

11 %

Data from the article text

Ukraine strikes and talks ahead

Ukraine stopped attacks on Russian refineries unilaterally for nearly two weeks in October under pressure from President Donald Trump, while Russia continued hitting Ukraine's energy infrastructure. During that pause Moscow began delivering diesel to the United States. Kyiv resumed its air campaign in the last days of October, launching attacks on three Russian refineries within three days. Russia has so far rejected US attempts to reach a comprehensive energy truce of this kind. Trilateral peace talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine are planned for mid-November in Abu Dhabi. The gas proposal therefore sits between a stalled truce and that new round of talks.