Washington proposes Russian gas transit via Ukraine in exchange for an energy truce
A US plan would reintroduce Russian natural gas into the European market through Ukrainian pipelines, as part of an energy truce between Moscow and Kyiv, a proposal that meets resistance from Europe.
The United States has put forward a plan that would allow Russian natural gas to return to the European market through pipelines crossing Ukraine, in exchange for an energy truce between Moscow and Kyiv. The proposal, reported by Il Messaggero, has been presented to the Kremlin and meets a clear wall of resistance from European governments.
The idea rests on a simple logic: restoring transit flows through Ukrainian territory would give Russia a commercial stake in halting attacks on energy infrastructure, while offering Europe a supply route it has spent the past years trying to replace. Since the escalation of the war, gas supplies from Russia to the continent have fallen sharply, and European capitals have diversified their sources, largely through liquefied natural gas imports from other producers. The transit arrangement would therefore reverse a trend that has defined European energy policy since 2022.
European opposition centres on the political and strategic implications. Many EU members consider any reopening of Russian gas channels a dangerous concession that would reward Moscow and undermine the sanctions regime adopted after the invasion of Ukraine. Reliance on Russian energy has already been identified in Brussels as a vulnerability that the bloc has committed to eliminating, and officials in several capitals have warned that a deal built on energy would hand Moscow leverage over the timing and terms of any future pressure.
The plan also raises practical questions about how a truce would be verified and enforced, and whether a ceasefire limited to energy assets could hold while the wider conflict continues. Attacks on power plants, substations and gas facilities have been recurrent features of the war, and a pause in such strikes would be difficult to monitor without independent oversight. Kyiv, which depends on transit fees and on the security of its gas network, is a central party whose position will shape any arrangement, and Ukrainian authorities have consistently rejected any formula that would legitimise Russian control over the country's energy routes.
Moscow, for its part, has an evident interest in restoring revenues from gas sales that have shrunk since the rerouting of supplies began. A reopened transit corridor would give the Kremlin a channel to European buyers and a bargaining chip in negotiations on the wider conflict. Analysts have noted that such an arrangement would also test the unity of EU members, some of which retain longer-term contracts or direct pipeline links with Russia and may be less inclined to close those options.
For now the proposal remains a diplomatic initiative rather than an agreement. Its fate will depend on whether Washington can bridge the gap between a Russian interest in restored revenues and a European insistence that energy security cannot be traded for a pause in fighting. Any progress would likely be measured first by whether the parties agree on monitoring mechanisms and on the guarantees each side would require before accepting a truce.
Source: ilmessaggero.it
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