Senior Russian and American officials held talks on bringing an American investor into the Nord Stream pipelines, which supplied natural gas to Germany before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to five people familiar with the matter.
The talks involved Jared Kushner, the US special envoy and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the sources said.
Treasury Dept denies reports
Kushner is seeking to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and believes business agreements can play a central role in restoring peace. Such an agreement could allow American investors to benefit from energy flows to Europe after the war ends.
Dmitriev and Kushner have met in recent weeks in Moscow and New York. It is unclear to what extent they discussed the Nord Stream pipelines, but the issue remains on the agenda, two of the sources told Reuters.
“The negotiation of any agreements would need to be conducted by Russia with the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Treasury Department, and must benefit US taxpayers and companies,” a White House official said when asked about the pipeline talks.
“There have been no recent discussions about Nord Stream,” the official told Reuters.
Deal 'unlikely'
Dmitriev, who is campaigning for Russian gas sales to Germany to resume, met last month with representatives of the US Energy and Treasury departments to discuss possible US-Russia energy initiatives. A representative for Dmitriev declined to comment.
It remains unclear how interested Washington is in pursuing a resumption of Russian natural gas flows to Germany, Europe’s largest energy consumer.
A US official said that, given the obstacles, a deal was unlikely in the medium term. The Nord Stream gas pipelines are subject to US and EU sanctions, making any reopening illegal.
Trump could lift or ease US sanctions. However, that could become more difficult if Democrats win control of Congress in next month’s midterm elections.
Source: CNA
