US backs Russian gas restart to Europe despite EU resistance.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the idea during visits to Moscow and Kyiv in September, according to US, European and Ukrainian officials cited by the newspaper.

Under the proposal, Russian gas would be sold through a US intermediary to navigate European sanctions, potentially creating an opportunity for American investors while allowing Ukraine to collect transit fees.

Russian gas shipments through Ukraine stopped in January 2025 after Kyiv declined to renew a transit agreement with Moscow, ending a major route that once carried Russian gas to Central and Eastern Europe.

The proposal faces strong resistance in Europe, where officials have rejected a return to Russian gas imports as the bloc seeks to reduce its dependence on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.

EU law requires Russian gas imports to end, with a full ban on pipeline deliveries scheduled for autumn 2027. The European Union adopted the phase out regulation in January 2026, with pipeline imports under long-term contracts to end by September 30, 2027, or November 1, 2027, if member states face difficulties meeting gas storage targets.