Trump eyes Russian gas deal as U.S.-Russia talks heat up
Russia is in talks with the United States about resuming supplies of Russian gas to Europe, reports Reuters. Previously, there had been suggestions from the American side that the U.S. might engage in gas cooperation with Russia.
Officials from Washington and Moscow have been in discussions about American assistance in restarting the sale of Russian gas to Europe, eight sources familiar with the talks informed Reuters.
For Trump, Russian gas may still be attractive. The American side suggested that the U.S. could engage in gas cooperation with Russia.
In February 2025, "The Wall Street Journal" reported that an American financier from Miami, Stephen P. Lynch, is attempting to acquire shares in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. There were opinions that American control over this project could be a significant asset in peace negotiations with Russia. The fact that talks are ongoing between the U.S. and Russia about restoring supplies via Nord Stream was later confirmed by Sergey Lavrov.
Trump wants to strike a deal, and Russia finds it advantageous
From a purely business perspective, such cooperation could benefit both sides. The Americans would take cheaper gas from the Jamaican region and Western Siberia from the Russians and sell it in the EU under their label. Shares in Nord Stream would reduce gas transportation costs and LNG deliveries. Russia, in turn, would earn as an intermediary. However, Nord Stream is not the only pipeline that interests Trump.
As "The Guardian" reported on Saturday, the U.S. "demands control" over the key pipeline transmitting Russian gas through Ukrainian territory to Western Europe as part of a prepared minerals agreement. This concerns the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod line, which channels natural gas from Western Siberia through Ukraine to Europe. In December 2022, an explosion damaged it.
According to "The Guardian," the latest American document demands that the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation take control over it. This confirms that Trump is ready to profit from gas transmission from Russia to Europe.
Russia's painful problem
After Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe decided to limit the import of Russian gas. As a result, the Russian energy giant Gazprom faced a serious problem.
The following year, the company reported a loss of 7 billion dollars, which forced it to look for new export directions. However, nothing affected its economy more than the loss of most of the European gas market three years ago.
Reuters indicates that it currently meets 19% of Europe's demand (previously 40%), mainly in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is also transmitted through Turkey via the TurkStream pipeline.
