Washington is pushing for a rapid resumption of Russian natural gas exports to Europe, using the pipeline network that crosses Ukraine, according to American, European and Ukrainian officials cited by The Wall Street Journal. The proposal is part of negotiations for an energy truce between Moscow and Kyiv ahead of winter, at a time when Russia is seeking to regain access to European energy markets.
The initiative emerged in discussions led by the Trump administration, which sees gas flows as a tool for reducing tensions and stabilizing prices on the European market. Officials cited by the American publication indicated that the plan could be implemented quickly if the parties reach an agreement that protects energy infrastructure during the winter.
However, the European Union has indicated that it does not support such a plan. For Brussels, resuming Russian gas flows through Ukrainian territory would run counter to efforts, built since the start of the war in Ukraine, to reduce energy dependence on Moscow. In recent years, member states have diversified their supply sources through liquefied gas and alternative pipelines, and this strategy remains central to the Community's energy policy.
For Ukraine, the transit of Russian gas would carry significant financial importance, since transit fees represent a source of revenue for the Ukrainian state, which is in the midst of its war effort. Kyiv has so far rejected the idea of resuming exports without clear political conditions, and negotiations on the energy truce remain, according to the sources cited, at an early stage.
For Romania, the stakes are concrete. The country is going through the most difficult cold season for its energy system in the past decade, and the two reactors at Cernavodă, which normally supply roughly one fifth of national electricity, have been shut down for almost three months. The temporary loss of sources that consistently produced electricity at low cost is already being felt in prices, and a possible scenario of resumed Russian gas flows would change the calculation of the regional market.
The energy discussion also has an industrial dimension. Andrei Dumitrescu, president and general manager of Henkel Romania, stated that the company's adhesives are used in electric vehicles for bonding battery elements and in the electronics industry, where Apple is among the most important clients. Energy costs and supply stability directly influence production chains in such sectors, which depend on affordable and predictable energy. Dumitrescu also mentioned international projects to which the company supplied adhesives, such as the Burj Khalifa, the restoration of a section of the Great Wall of China and the completion of the Sagrada Família.