Senior Russian and U.S. officials, including U.S. Special Envoy Jared Kushner, held talks on bringing in an American investor for the Nord Stream pipelines ("Northern Stream"), which supplied gas to Germany before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reuters reports this, citing people familiar with the situation, writes UNN.
Details
According to the sources, the talks were attended by dictator Vladimir Putin’s adviser Kirill Dmitriev and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
As noted, Kushner, who seeks to achieve a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, believes that doing business is a central element of restoring peace, and that such a deal would allow American investors to profit from supplying energy resources to Europe after the war ends.
Dmitriev and Kushner met in Moscow and New York in recent weeks. According to two sources, it is unclear how extensively they discussed the "Northern Stream," but the issue remains on the agenda.
Any agreements must be concluded by Russia with the DFC (the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation) and the Treasury Department, and they must benefit American taxpayers and companies
The publication recalled that Dmitriev, who advocated restoring sales of Russian gas to Germany, met with representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy and Treasury Department last month to discuss potential energy initiatives between the United States and Russia.
It remains unclear how interested Washington is in restoring the supply of Russian gas to Germany, Europe’s largest energy consumer
One U.S. official predicted that signing such a deal is currently unlikely because of the large number of obstacles.
A representative of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy issued a statement on the matter. She reminded the media that the "Northern Stream" and Russian gas are under sanctions in Europe, and that Germany has found alternatives.
Sources also reported that Trump’s and Putin’s teams discussed the sale of assets belonging to the Russian energy company "Lukoil." U.S. authorities expect to receive significant profits if this plan is successfully implemented.