Kremlin says Russia is not holding gas supply talks with Europe or the US

The Kremlin said Thursday it has no talks under way with Washington or European capitals to revive Russian gas flows via Ukraine, leaving TurkStream as Moscow’s only pipeline route into Europe.

The Kremlin said Thursday it is not in discussions with either the United States or European nations about sending Russian natural gas to Europe through Ukraine.

Russian deliveries to Europe have plunged since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent explosions that disabled the Nord Stream pipelines. Shipments via Ukraine dropped further this year after a transit agreement lapsed and Kyiv declined to renew it.

Earlier this month, a source told Reuters that Washington had urged the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to assume control of a Gazprom pipeline crossing Ukraine as part of broader peace efforts.

At present, Russia’s sole operational route for supplying Europe is TurkStream, which runs under the Black Sea to Turkey and on to southern and central European markets.

Asked about possible new arrangements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “No, there are no talks … This is a commercial matter. There is a seller and potential buyers. If buyers show interest and a transit corridor is available, the seller will of course consider it. Nothing is ruled out.”

In a separate interview published Wednesday by France’s Le Point, Peskov said Gazprom “will certainly examine” any proposals to restart flows, noting that some European countries still wish to purchase Russian gas and that any agreement would be “purely commercial.”

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