Secret discussions have reportedly been taking place between a close associate of Vladimir Putin and key individuals connected to Donald Trump’s inner circle with the aim of restarting the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
According to reports, the talks aim to rescue the controversial undersea pipeline, which funnels Russian gas to western Europe.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was once a symbol of Europe’s dependence on Russian energy before it was attacked in September 2022. The explosions on September 26 severely damaged three out of the four pipelines that make up Nord Stream, a project that had taken 15 years to complete.
If successful, this initiative would represent a significant policy shift for Trump, who had previously spearheaded campaigns to halt the Nord Stream 2 project and encourage Germany to purchase American liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead.
If successful, the deal could see US investors acquiring a stake in the pipeline’s operating company, allowing them to profit if Russian gas flows resume to Germany and other central European nations – should Western sanctions ease after a ceasefire in Ukraine.
It would also give Washington a major foothold in Berlin’s energy market.
The secret discussions are said to have taken place in Switzerland, brokered by Matthias Warnig, a former East German intelligence officer and longtime Putin confidant.
Warnig, who ran Nord Stream 2 before it collapsed into insolvency in 2023, reportedly played a key role in assembling potential backers.
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines were the biggest symbol of Europe’s energy dependence on Moscow until three of their four strands were bombed in 2022
The secret discussions are said to have taken place in Switzerland, brokered by Matthias Warnig (pictured), a former East German intelligence officer and longtime Putin confidant
During his first term, Trump aggressively opposed the pipeline, warning that it would make Germany ‘captive’ to Russian energy
Gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak reaching surface of the Baltic Sea in the area shows a disturbance of well over one kilometre in diameter near Bornholm, Denmark, September 27, 2022
On the US side, Richard Grenell, Trump’s combative former ambassador to Germany and current envoy for ‘special missions,’ is alleged to have led negotiations.
Stephen Lynch, a wealthy Trump-linked businessman, has also been named as a potential investor in the project.
However, both Grenell and Warnig have denied involvement, while Lynch has yet to comment on the claims.
Despite the reported discussions, relaunching Nord Stream 2 faces massive challenges.
Only one of the pipeline’s two strands remains intact, and repairing the damaged section could cost over £79million.
Additionally, the company behind the pipeline is under severe financial strain, with just two months to put together a plan to repay billions of dollars in debt.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle is political. The German government has shown no interest in reviving Nord Stream 2, having suspended its certification just days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Any attempt to restart the project would likely face fierce resistance from Berlin, as well as from Ukraine and other European allies opposed to deepening energy ties with Moscow.
Trump’s apparent change of heart on Nord Stream 2 is raising eyebrows in Washington and across Europe.
During his first term, he aggressively opposed the pipeline, warning that it would make Germany ‘captive’ to Russian energy.
The blasts wrecked three out of four Nord Stream pipelines, which had become a controversial symbol of German reliance on Russian gas in the wake of Moscow ‘s invasion of Ukraine, and triggered wild speculation over the possible culprit
This handout picture taken and released on September 29, 2022 shows the release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline
Aerial photo provided by the Swedish Coast Guard on Sept. 27, 2022 shows the gas leak from Nord Stream in the Baltic Sea
Now, with his return to the White House in January, there are signs of a thaw in US-Russia relations – at least in the energy sector.
If American investors were to take a stake in Nord Stream 2, it could pave the way for a broader shift in how Washington handles sanctions on Moscow and negotiations over Ukraine’s future.
However, given the scale of opposition to the pipeline, any such deal is likely to face intense scrutiny.
Last year, a Ukrainian military officer allegedly involved in the 2022 operation told the Wall Street Journal the sabotage – pulled off with a single yacht, a six-person crew, rudimentary diving equipment and a set of light explosives – was dreamt up by a few Ukrainian military men amid an alcohol-fuelled bash.
One officer who participated and three other sources familiar with the plan also told WSJ it was initially approved by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but said that former armed forces commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny instructed the team to forge on with the attack when Zelensky got cold feet.
The Ukrainian president’s office at the time vehemently rejected the WSJ’s investigation as ‘absolute nonsense’.
