European officials are debating whether to restart Russian gas sales to the EU as part of a potential peace deal with Moscow, aiming to reduce energy costs, according to Henry Foy, Alice Hancock, and Christopher Miller of the Financial Times. While some countries like Germany and Hungary support the idea, it has faced strong opposition from Ukraine’s allies in the EU. The discussion is also raising concerns among U.S. LNG exporters about losing market share in Europe. They write:
European officials are debating whether Russian pipeline gas sales to the EU should be restarted as part of a potential settlement to end the war against Ukraine, according to people familiar with discussions.
Advocates of buying Russian gas argue it would bring down high energy prices in Europe, encourage Moscow to the negotiating table, and give both sides a reason to implement and maintain a ceasefire.
But raising the idea of reopening flows of Russian gas into Europe, even in preliminary discussions, has already sparked a backlash among Ukraine’s closest allies in the EU. […]
Slovakia, directly linked to the Ukrainian pipeline that halted Russian gas deliveries, faces an annual loss of €500mn in transit revenues. Gary Mazzotti, chief executive of EP Infrastructure, which operates the Slovak part of the pipeline, told the FT that a potential peace deal between Trump and Russia would almost certainly lead to talks on resuming Russian gas supplies.
“When that day of peace comes, I’m sure there will be significant discussions about the right levels of gas supply to Europe and where it should come from,” Mazzotti said.
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