The Donald Trump administration has proposed that Europe resume purchasing Russian gas as a way to break the deadlock in stalled Ukraine peace negotiations, The New York Times reported on October 17 (local time), citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report published on October 17, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Trump, raised the possibility that European purchases of Russian gas could be included in a peace agreement during a meeting with Ukrainian and key European officials held in Miami, Florida, earlier this month.

Witkoff and Kushner reportedly also brought up the idea when they met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv last month.

European delegations attending the meeting were shocked by the proposal put forward by the U.S. side, the newspaper reported.

Since the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine, European Union member states have spent years making efforts to reduce their dependence on Russian gas with U.S. support, and the U.S. proposal would undo these years of effort.

From the perspective of the U.S. energy industry, it is a measure that could reduce the demand for U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Europe.

The New York Times pointed out that it is "a proposal that could overturn years of U.S. energy policy," adding that "it would provide an economic boost to Moscow while reviving Russian influence over Europe."

The newspaper evaluated that "given that European and Ukrainian leaders strongly oppose relying on Russian gas again, Special Envoy Witkoff's proposal could further complicate the Trump administration's efforts to end the war."

In a statement sent to The New York Times, the White House stated that the war is "driving up energy prices across Europe and causing significant economic hardship for both Russia and Ukraine."

It continued, "The United States has been working closely with Ukraine and European partners on a comprehensive peace plan that includes economic incentives for both sides of Russia and Ukraine as part of a final agreement," adding, "Our goal is not simply to end the fighting, but to create conditions for lasting peace, economic recovery, and regional stability."

The Trump administration's view is that if Europe resumes importing Russian gas through pipelines passing through Ukraine, Ukraine could regain transit fee revenues, and Europe could induce the drop in energy prices desired by voters.

European and Ukrainian officials expect that if Russia resumes gas exports, the U.S. will demand equity participation in the intermediary process so that U.S. companies or the government can take a portion of the profits, according to The New York Times.

The Trump administration has reportedly also proposed partially releasing frozen Russian assets to secure a peace agreement.

Previously, the Financial Times reported that Special Envoy Witkoff and Kushner proposed releasing a portion of frozen Russian government assets during the Miami meeting and transferring those assets to a special purpose financial vehicle (SPV) supervised by the U.S. government.

European and Ukrainian delegations were deeply shocked by such U.S. proposals, and suspicions are growing regarding the sincerity of the U.S. and whether the U.S. approach of pressuring Russia to halt its invasion has diverged sharply from that of Europe, the newspaper reported.

The resumption of Russian gas exports also aligns with Moscow's interests.

Asked about gas negotiations, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told The New York Times, "Resuming energy cooperation in any form is in our interest, and right now it might even be in Europe's own interest."

The Trump administration has already been lowering the level of sanctions pressure on Russia.

Following President Trump's announcement on October 9 of a "diesel deal" to cooperate with Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel to the U.S. and international markets, he stated on October 16 that he would suspend the implementation of the Graham Act, which contains additional sanctions against Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on that day that he thinks, unfortunately, the diesel deal and the measures related to the Graham Act will not be the end, adding, "The easing of sanctions will continue."

On the other hand, Russian Presidential Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the suspension of sanctions on X, calling it "an important and truly historic moment," and stating that "economic dialogue and peacebuilding efforts between the U.S. and Russia will continue."

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