Washington reportedly proposes Nord Stream revival as incentive for Russia peace deal

The United States has proposed restoring Russian gas supplies to Europe — including reviving the Nord Stream pipeline system — as part of an economic package intended to draw Moscow toward a Ukraine settlement, The Economist reported on 22 October.

The proposal conflicts with existing EU law. Member states adopted a legally binding phaseout of Russian gas imports in January. Under that timetable, remaining long-term Russian liquefied natural gas contracts must end from 1 January 2027, and the corresponding ban on long-term pipeline supplies takes effect on 30 September 2027, with a possible postponement to 1 November if winter gas-storage targets are at risk.

Nord Stream faces additional obstacles beyond the legal framework. Germany's government opposes reopening the pipelines, which are also subject to US and EU sanctions. Nord Stream 1 stopped operating in 2022, and Nord Stream 2 never entered commercial service. Three of the system's four lines were damaged in underwater explosions in September 2022.

The gas proposal forms part of a broader reported package for Moscow that includes commercial agreements with American companies, sanctions relief and normalised political relations. Ukraine would reportedly be offered an investment package and EU membership in exchange for abandoning NATO membership ambitions, alongside a demilitarised zone in the Donbas.

For Ukrainian negotiators, a central concern is sequencing: they fear the US could secure profitable economic agreements with Russia before Moscow ends the war. EU membership, like access to Europe's energy market, cannot be guaranteed by Washington alone.