US Special Envoy Jared Kushner and Putin adviser Kirill Dmitriev have held talks to bring US investors into the sanctioned Nord Stream pipelines. Kushner views commercial deals as central to brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine. However, any restart faces severe obstacles, as the pipelines are sanctioned by the US and EU. Germany strongly opposes reopening the lines, while the upcoming US midterm elections could limit President Donald Trump's ability to ease sanctions.
Talks between Kushner and Dmitriev
- ▪Jared Kushner and Kirill Dmitriev have met in Moscow and New York in recent weeks, keeping the Nord Stream topic on their meetings' agenda
- ▪US Special Envoy Jared Kushner and Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, have held talks about bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream gas pipelines that delivered gas to Germany
- ▪Jared Kushner and Kirill Dmitriev have also discussed selling European oil refineries and petrol stations owned by Russian energy company Lukoil to a consortium including the US International Development Finance Corporation
Sanctions and obstacles to Nord Stream
- ▪The Nord Stream gas pipelines are currently sanctioned by the United States and the European Union, making any restart of the pipelines illegal
- ▪Germany's economy and energy ministry stated that Nord Stream and Russian gas are sanctioned in Europe, and Germany has found alternative energy sources
Kushner's peace through business approach
- ▪Jared Kushner views business and economic deals as central to restoring peace and brokering a truce between Russia and Ukraine
- ▪Jared Kushner advocated for prosperity agreements in Kyiv to encourage peace and address how the war in Ukraine has pushed up energy prices
US political dynamics around waiving sanctions
- ▪If Democrats win control of Congress in next month's midterm elections, it would become harder for Donald Trump to waive or soften Nord Stream sanctions
- ▪US President Donald Trump could waive or soften US sanctions on Nord Stream to facilitate a deal
Kirill Dmitriev's energy campaign
- ▪Kirill Dmitriev has campaigned for a resumption of Russian gas sales to Germany
- ▪Kirill Dmitriev met in September 2026 with US Energy and Treasury Department representatives to discuss potential US-Russia energy initiatives
Debatable claims
- ▪Reopening the Nord Stream pipeline does more harm than good for Europe
- ▪The US should waive sanctions on Nord Stream to facilitate a US-investor deal
- ▪Bilateral US-Russia energy negotiations over European assets are justified
- ▪Economic deals are an effective way to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine
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