Sources close to the bilateral talks said that if Russian dictator Vladimir Putin agrees to a U.S.-brokered peace deal with Ukraine, Moscow might expect to reclaim some of its former hold on EU’s gas market.
While most of Europe is seeking alternative energy sources, some buyers remain. Industry representatives say the number of buyers could grow after a peace deal is reached.
Europe cut imports of Russian gas after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a move that resulted in $7 billion in losses for Russian exporter Gazprom the following year. Reuters noted that nothing has hit the Russian economy harder than losing much of the European gas market three years ago.
The agency wrote that Washington’s involvement in restoring gas sales could help Moscow overcome resistance from European countries. Two diplomatic sources and a White House official said U.S. involvement would also benefit the United States by allowing it to monitor—and possibly control—how much Russian gas is sold to Europe.
According to two of the eight sources, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev held talks about gas. Witkoff’s press secretary declined comment when asked whether the special representative discussed exporting Russian gas to Europe.
“At this time, such discussions are not taking place,” a statement from the Russian Direct Investment Fund, led by Dmitriev, said.