According to a media report, Russia and the US are currently in talks over the possibility of future cooperation with Gazprom (a Russian state-owned multinational energy corporation and the world’s largest producer of natural gas) on international projects, including in the Arctic region. The report cited Russian and European officials. The news comes as the US aims to normalize relations with Russia and gain access to the economically and geopolitically important region.
Due to increased global temperature, the ice sheets have started melting in the Arctic, making the region important for trade routes, natural resources and military presence. It has drawn increasing global attention due to its vast, untapped energy and mineral resources along with its strategic trade routes. Russia has been developing its Northern Sea Route. It will be the shortest shipping route between Western Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific. It is envisaged to run through its Arctic and Far East regions. The route has been extensively modernized over the past years, with investment from India and China, which hold stakes in several Arctic energy projects.
Reports say Russian state-run energy giant Gazprom could offer the US involvement in ventures in the Arctic region and some offshore projects, such as the Sakhalin liquefied natural gas project if sanctions restricting foreign investment are overturned.
Unnamed sources familiar with the matter told the news agency that talks between US and Russian representatives on potential collaboration with Gazprom are at the stage of “preliminary contacts.” It is reportedly unclear who is leading the reported discussions or whether officials from the administration of US President Donald Trump are directly involved.
According to the sources, US-Gazprom cooperation could involve joint European and Asian projects. It also added that it could be part of Washington’s broader push to bring Russia from the lap of China and away from Iran. The same report noted that the step could also promote business opportunities following a peace deal to end the Ukraine conflict, which Trump sees as a top priority. After all, any table where Russia and the US could cooperate would help them to have regular talks. The cooperation will also provide a diplomatic table where these two great powers can meet and resolve their future disagreements.
Earlier this week, German news outlet Correctiv reported that the US and Russia were negotiating a back channel deal that would allow Russian energy to be exported to the Germany through the Druzhba pipeline. Reportedly, the month-long discussion may include US companies buying parts of the Nord Stream pipeline infrastructure. The US companies may stake in three German refineries owned by a Russian energy giant Rosneft subsidiary.
There has been no official confirmation from Russia or the US, nor have they commented on it yet. On Thursday, Russian President Putin said that Russia may resume gas exports to Europe through the underwater pipeline once Russia and the US agree on energy cooperation.
Notably, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, built to supply Russian gas to Germany and the rest of Western Europe, were blown by blasts in September 2022; since then, the supply has not resumed.
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After Trump returned to the White House, the US foreign policy moved from its traditional approach to a pragmatic one. The US is more concerned about its own national interests than its allies. Trump and his team know that the immediate threat is coming from China due to its increased economy and military power in the last decades. Putting resources, especially in Ukraine and generally in Europe, will not only drain the US resources but also push Russia closer and closer to China and Iran. This is totally against the US national interest and hegemonic behaviours. Hence, the recent approach from the US side on Russia and Europe is more pragmatic, which will help the US geopolitically in the longer term.
