Top Russian and US officials, including US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, have held talks about bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines that delivered gas to Germany before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Axar.az reports, citing Reuters, that according to five people with knowledge of the situation, the discussions included Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Kushner, who has been trying to broker a truce between Russia and Ukraine, views doing business as central to restoring peace. Such a deal would enable US investors to profit from energy flows to Europe once the war ends.
Dmitriev and Kushner have met in Moscow and New York in recent weeks. While it was unclear to what degree they discussed Nord Stream on those occasions, the topic remains on the agenda, two of the people told Reuters.
"Any deals will have to be negotiated by Russia with DFC (US International Development Finance Corporation) and Treasury and must benefit United States taxpayers and companies," a White House official said, when asked about the pipeline discussions.
It should be noted that the idea of bringing an American investor into the Nord Stream 2 project has been raised before. In 2024, businessman Stephen Lynch even asked the U.S. government to allow him to participate in a potential auction for the sale of the gas pipeline.