Kremlin says Russian gas transit through Ukraine cannot resume

Russian gas supplies to Europe cannot currently restart through pipelines crossing Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said. His comments followed a report that the United States backs a resumption of deliveries as part of negotiations on an energy ceasefire ahead of the approaching winter.

European Pravda reported Peskov's remarks, citing TASS, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet. Asked about The Wall Street Journal's account of the US proposal, Peskov said the current “situation on the ground indicates that it is impossible” to carry out plans to restore Russian gas transit through Ukraine.

Peskov also offered little prospect of discussing a future restart, saying it was hardly possible for now to speak about supplies being resumed later. He nevertheless said that further plans would depend on what buyers wanted and what suppliers were capable of providing. His remarks addressed both the immediate possibility of restarting transit and the uncertainty surrounding future deliveries.

The Wall Street Journal had reported that Washington supported restarting Russian natural gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine as soon as possible. According to that report, the effort formed part of negotiations aimed at securing an energy ceasefire before winter. Peskov was responding to that reported initiative when he described a resumption of transit as impossible under current conditions.

The European Commission has previously set out a different position on future purchases of Russian gas. It said the European Union does not intend to resume imports even after Russia's war against Ukraine ends, because the phase-out of those imports is already established in existing legislation.

The Commission's stated position therefore extends beyond the duration of the war. While the reported US proposal concerns an early return of deliveries through Ukraine in connection with an energy ceasefire, the EU's position is that the end of the war would not lead to renewed imports.

Separately, earlier reports said the United States had proposed unfreezing some Russian sovereign assets held by European countries. Those assets were blocked following the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. Under the reported proposal, they would be transferred to a financial structure controlled by Washington, with the aim of reviving peace negotiations.