EU Throws Cold Water on Restart of Russia's Baltic Sea Gas Pipelines
Pushing back on reported White House planning for Russian energy cooperation, the European Commission has made clear that it does not see a future for the disused Nord Stream gas pipeline system.
If restarted, Nord Stream would flood Northern Europe with inexpensive Russian natural gas, undercutting European demand for American LNG - a plan reportedly under discussion between a Russian representative and U.S. Special Envoy Jared Kushner. But Europe wants no part of the U.S.-Russian plan to reintroduce Russian fuel into Europe, a spokesperson for the Commission said Wednesday.
"We know far too well the hidden costs of being dependent on Russia for the purchase of fossil fuels. They have been weaponized and we have been paying the price, so we do not forget that," European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho told Euronews. Pinho noted EC President Ursula von der Leyen's position: to maintain sanctions on Russian energy until Moscow ends the war in Ukraine.
Even the end of the war wouldn't bring Russian gas back to Europe, at least not automatically. The EU has enacted legislation to ban all pipeline imports of Russian gas by September 2027, whether or not sanctions are still in place, EC spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen told Euronews.
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This could hamper the reported planning to repair the damage to Nord Stream and return it to service. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Kushner and Russian investment fund administrator Kirill Dmitriev have discussed ways to bring an American investor into the Nord Stream project. In his diplomatic efforts in Europe and the Mideast, Kushner - President Donald Trump's son-in-law - has focused on business deals as a core component of peace agreements. A White House spokesperson told Reuters that Nord Stream had not been on the diplomatic agenda recently, contrary to statements by other sources.
The White House has also been in recent talks with the Kremlin about U.S. involvement in the Russian oil sector after the end of the war. Possible projects could include a venture to restore the Druzhba oil export pipeline to Europe (currently blocked by EU sanctions), or the restoration of international cooperation at the Sakhalin offshore oil and gas project, the FT reports.
