Amid endless conflict tensions and embargoes, Washington and Moscow are reportedly discussing the possibility of connecting Russian gas to Europe. A scenario that was once considered a "permanent end" has now come back with surprising bilateral agreements.
In a sensational revelation from Reuters news agency on May 8, the US and Russia are said to have held closed-door talks to unleash the flow of gas from Russia to Europe. This is part of a broader effort to end the long-running conflict in Ukraine, which has pushed Russia-Western relations to the lowest level since the Cold War.
According to 8 anonymous sources quoted by Reuters, these talks did not stop at peace talks but also mentioned energy-related proposals, including the possibility of US companies buying shares in Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom or controlling part of the infrastructure of the gas pipeline through Ukraine.
One option proposed is that US businesses will act as intermediaries to buy gas from Russia and then resell it to Europe, as a way to overcome political barriers and direct embargoes. This is seen as a plan to help EU countries continue to access gas supplies without officially "opening the door" to Russia.
By 2022, Russia will supply up to 40% of the EU's total gas imports. But after a series of sanctions from the West and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline, gas flows from Russia have decreased sharply. Currently, Russia accounts for only 19% of Europe's supply, mainly liquefied natural gas (LNG) and via the TurkStream gas pipeline passing through Turkey.
However, on May 8, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen flatly denied the possibility of resuming Russian gas imports, calling it a historic mistake and asserting the EU will never let that happen.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is leaving the door open. We know that some European countries are still willing to buy gas from Russia, Peskov told Le Point in an interview last month.
While Europe is determined to cut off from Russian energy, Moscow is turning to the East. RT reported that on May 8, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said that Russia and China had reached an agreement to speed up the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline (Power of Siberia 2) with a designed capacity for Russia to export up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year to China.
Not stopping there, a second pipeline passing through Kazakhstan is also under study, raising the total capacity that can be supplied to China to 100 billion cubic meters per year, nearly the same as the amount that Russia supplied to the entire EU before the Ukraine crisis.
Observers say that energy is always a card in the geopolitical game between Russia and the West. The resumption of gas flows, whether directly or indirectly, could be part of a "big package" if the parties move closer to the solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
