US, Russia explore Nord Stream revival as talks consider American investor

BERLIN/WASHINGTON (TIP): Russia could be exploring a route to resume natural gas supplies to Europe through the Nord Stream pipelines, with senior Russian and US officials reportedly discussing the possibility of bringing an American investor into the infrastructure that once transported Russian gas directly to Germany.
The discussions involve US Special Envoy Jared Kushner and Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to five people familiar with the matter cited by Reuters. The talks come amid broader efforts to explore economic cooperation between Washington and Moscow alongside negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Germany sourced more than half of its natural gas from Russia through the Nord Stream pipelines. The undersea infrastructure was subsequently taken out of operation, and explosions in September 2022 severely damaged the pipelines.
Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were designed to transport Russian gas across the Baltic Sea directly to Germany, bypassing transit countries. Their potential revival could reshape Europe’s energy landscape, but the reported discussions remain exploratory, with no confirmed agreement to restart deliveries.
Any effort to restore supplies faces significant legal and political obstacles. US and European Union sanctions affecting the Nord Stream pipelines mean that resuming deliveries would be illegal under existing restrictions, Reuters reported, citing a US official. An American investment alone would not remove those restrictions or guarantee permission to resume operations.
A White House official said any potential agreement would have to be negotiated by Russia with the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Treasury Department, and would need to benefit American taxpayers and businesses. The official also said there had been no recent discussions specifically concerning Nord Stream.