Senior Russian and US officials, including US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, have discussed bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines that delivered gas to Germany before Russia invaded Ukraine, five people with knowledge of the situation said.
Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, took part alongside Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Kushner, who has been trying to broker a truce between Russia and Ukraine, sees business as central to restoring peace, and a deal would let US investors profit from energy flows to Europe once the war ends, reports Reuters.
Dmitriev and Kushner have met in Moscow and New York in recent weeks.
It is unclear how far they discussed Nord Stream, but the topic remains on the agenda, two of the people told Reuters.
A White House official said any deals “will have to be negotiated by Russia with DFC (US International Development Finance Corporation) and Treasury”, adding there had been “no Nord Stream discussions recently”.
Dmitriev, who has campaigned for a resumption of Russian gas sales to Germany, met US Energy and Treasury Department representatives last month to discuss potential US-Russia energy initiatives.
It is unclear how keen Washington is to restart Russian gas flows to Germany.
A US official said a deal was unlikely in the medium term.
The pipelines are sanctioned by the US and EU, making any restart illegal.
Trump could waive or soften US sanctions, but this would become harder if Democrats win control of Congress in next month’s midterm elections.
Germany and other European countries would strongly resist reopening Nord Stream.
A spokeswoman for Germany’s economy and energy ministry said Germany had found alternatives, and that reopening the pipelines required government approval, which was not desired.
Before the invasion, Germany bought more than half its gas from Russia through the two pipelines, which were blown up in September 2022.
The talks unfold against deep European mistrust of Russia’s motives.
Earlier this year, the heads of five European spy agencies told Reuters that Russia did not want to end the war quickly and was using talks with Washington to push for business deals.
Some German lawmakers say business deals would bolster Moscow as it pursues the war.
“This threatens to be a dirty deal that will cost Europe dearly,” said Michael Kellner, who was in charge of German energy policy after the invasion.
Germany’s coalition government opposes a restart, but the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the country’s most popular party, wants one.
Dmitriev will meet its leadership early next year to discuss selling Russian gas again.
Selling ownership of the company that controls the pipelines to a US investor faces hurdles.
It is 51 percent owned by Russian state energy giant Gazprom, with a further 31 percent split between two German entities and the rest held by a French and a Dutch firm.
The German shareholders want to keep their stakes to preserve German influence should Gazprom sell, another person said.
Days after the Moscow meetings, Kushner said in Kyiv that he had spoken to European counterparts about how the war pushed up energy prices, advocating “prosperity agreements” to encourage peace.
A gas deal would please the Kremlin but split German public opinion and Europe, where Poland and the Baltic states reject energy ties.
Kushner and Dmitriev have also discussed selling Lukoil businesses, from oil refineries to petrol stations in Europe and elsewhere, two other people said.
Under that plan, a consortium of the DFC and investors from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates would buy the assets while US authorities lifted sanctions.
A White House official said Steve Witkoff and Kushner worked with the DFC “to negotiate a substantial upfront payment and profits interest for the United States”.
