Representatives of US President Donald Trump have proposed the restoration of Russian oil and gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine. The idea was discussed by the US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as part of a plan for economic cooperation after the end of the war, the French newspaper Le Monde reports.
The talks took place on October 9 at the Shell Bay Golf Club in Hallandale Beach, Florida. According to the publication, the meeting was not only dedicated to peace negotiations, but also to the possibilities of large-scale economic relations between Ukraine, Europe and Russia after the end of the conflict.
A plan for the transit of Russian oil and gas
Witkoff presented an idea for a regional prosperity plan that would cover the three countries and the region. One of its elements was the restoration of the full functioning of the pipelines through which Russian oil and gas reached European markets through Ukrainian territory.
According to Le Monde, the American representative explained that such a scheme could provide transit revenues for Ukraine and at the same time reduce energy costs for European consumers. The publication does not specify specific terms, quantities or financial parameters of the possible resumption of supplies.
A sharp reaction from Kiev
The proposal has provoked a negative reaction from the head of the administration of the President of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov. According to the French newspaper, he perceived the idea as an opportunity for Kiev to again fall into dependence on Moscow.
„Our model is not Belarus, but Poland!“This is what Budanov replied during the meeting, according to a story quoted by Le Monde. The publication describes his reaction as barely contained anger. After that, the talks were interrupted, and Budanov called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the publication, Zelensky advised him not to show his emotions. From the available information, it is not clear whether the proposal to restore Russian oil and gas transit was formulated as an official plan, nor whether it received support from the Ukrainian side or from European countries.
Sources: focus-news.net, lemonde.fr