The Kremlin sees no possibility of resuming gas transit through Ukraine
On November 2, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia currently sees no possibility of resuming the transit of its gas to Europe through Ukraine. He made these remarks in response to reports of a U.S. initiative to restore Russian gas supplies to the European market. At the same time, Peskov did not rule out that such transit could resume in the future.
Russia is not currently considering the resumption of gas transit through the Ukrainian gas transmission system as a viable option. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on reports of a U.S. proposal to return Russian gas to the European market. “It’s hardly worth discussing this at the moment. In fact, the situation on the ground speaks volumes about the impossibility of implementing such plans at this time,” Peskov said.
At the same time, the Kremlin spokesperson did not completely rule out the possibility of resuming supplies in the future. According to him, this will depend on whether there is demand for Russian gas, whether suppliers are willing to sell it, and whether they have the capacity to do so. “The buyers’ willingness, the sellers’ willingness, and the sellers’ ability,” is how Peskov described the conditions on which, in his view, a possible resumption of transit will depend.
What Is Known About the U.S. Proposal
Peskov’s statement came after reports that Washington was considering the possibility of resuming Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine. According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. side viewed such an agreement as one of the possible steps to halt Russian attacks on energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
As the publication reported, this idea was discussed during the September talks in Moscow. It was presented by representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump—Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. One of the proposed options called for Russian gas to once again be delivered to European buyers via the Ukrainian gas transmission system. The gas would be sold through a U.S. intermediary.
However, according to The Wall Street Journal, this proposal subsequently took a back seat. No public announcements were made regarding an agreement to resume transit. Thus, the Kremlin is currently stating that it is impossible to resume Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, but is leaving this possibility open for the future. At the same time, Peskov did not specify any concrete deadlines or conditions for resuming supplies. His remarks were reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
During negotiations on an energy truce, the U.S. once again raised the issue of resuming Russian gas supplies to Europe via the Ukrainian gas transmission system, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to the publication, this initiative emerged after Ukraine resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries.
As a reminder, Budanov reacted with outrage to Witkoff’s proposal to resume the transit of Russian gas.
Earlier, Peskov stated that Russia would continue fighting during the negotiations.
Prior to that, Peskov had been asked whether Putin would take a call from Zelenskyy.
The Office of the President responded to the Kremlin’s statements regarding a phone call between Zelenskyy and Putin.
