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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Donald Trump’s entourage is looking for a way to profit from bringing Russian gas back to Europe, but this plan could fail even before it starts. The key transit infrastructure through Ukraine is destroyed, the European Union is preparing to abandon Russian energy sources altogether, and the idea of American mediation itself echoes the infamous RosUkrEnergo scheme.
Diplomat Volodymyr Ogrizko analyzed for 24 Channel why Russia cannot return to Europe’s gas market, how Trump’s circle could profit from the war, and why deals with the Kremlin again turn into deception.
Technical collapse and European embargo
American media, including The Wall Street Journal, reported plans by Donald Trump’s closest circle to initiate the resumption of Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukrainian territory. This plan, reportedly discussed by Jared Kushner and Steven Mnuchin, envisages bringing in an American intermediary to take profits. Yet this idea runs into the harsh reality of war.
The main obstacle to realizing such a plan lies in the technological sphere. The key gas transportation node—the Suja gas metering station in Russia’s Kursk region—suffered critical destruction during fighting.
According to Volodymyr Ogrizko, this massive compressor station has essentially become a "pile of molecules," with the routes of large-diameter pipelines still the site of active fighting. Restoring this infrastructure in wartime is impossible for many months or even years.
Moreover, Europe’s political landscape has changed dramatically. The European Union has made a final decision to fully renounce Russian energy by 2027 year. European leaders firmly articulate the impossibility of returning to gas purchases from Russia, making the American plan to find markets for Moscow absolutely hopeless.
Full interview with Volodymyr Ogrizko: watch the video
Ghost of past corruption schemes
The proposal to create an American intermediary company for transit of Russian gas strikingly resembles the infamous RosUkrEnergo scheme.
The RosUkrEnergo scheme was a gas broker through which in 2006 – 2009 years Russia supplied gas to Ukraine. The company was registered in Switzerland, and its co-owners included Gazprom and structures connected to Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash. The scheme drew numerous accusations of opacity, corruption risks, and using gas contracts to extract windfall profits for intermediaries. In January 2009 after yet another gas crisis, RosUkrEnergo was removed from supplying Russian gas to Ukraine.
Similar shells have historically been used to corrupt political elites on both sides and generate shadow profits. The Trump entourage’s attempt to implement such a scenario looks like a desire to profit from a geopolitical crisis by putting money into two pockets at once.
Nevertheless, even in the Kremlin they acknowledge the plan’s unfeasibility—the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov publicly confirmed the lack of capacity to transport gas. This indicates that the backstage plans of American negotiators are merely political fantasy that ignores ground realities.
Political Crisis in the United States and the Role of Congress
Trump’s attempt to impose his own foreign policy outside traditional institutions will face serious opposition. Information about preparing a plan to run the country without Congress looks dubious given the features of the American political system. The key instrument of Congressional influence is control over the budget.
Any major foreign policy or military steps, such as moving aircraft carrier groups or deploying air defense systems, require colossal funding. Trump’s strategy to become the "Mr. Veto" and block lawmakers’ initiatives will inevitably lead to a standoff. If Congress loses control, the new administration would be at risk of broad investigations.
Corruption cases involving Trump’s family and his closest advisers could become a focus for congressional attention. Furthermore, within the Republican Party there is growing opposition to the leader’s radical actions, which will force him to seek compromises so as not to ruin the party’s electoral prospects in the next elections.
Why deals with Russia don’t work
Any attempts to freeze the conflict or achieve partial truces with the Kremlin are doomed to fail due to the Russian side’s absolute unreliability. A vivid example was the recent humanitarian mission in the temporarily occupied Hola Prystan in Kherson region. Russian troops cynically used the ceasefire declared to evacuate civilians for purely military purposes.
Instead of the claimed demining vehicles, the occupiers moved new units to this front sector and at least 30 Grad multiple launch rocket systems. This allowed the enemy to establish new positions and intensify shelling of Kherson immediately after the so-called ceasefire.
Involving Melania Trump in this mission had an exclusively pre-election PR character designed to show the Trump team’s “humanitarian” stance ahead of the vote.
In reality, Russia once again proved that it uses diplomatic initiatives solely to prepare for further hostilities.
Western Military Pragmatism
Despite political turbulence in Washington, support for Ukraine has a solid military backing in Western circles. Unlike politicians who are often guided by electoral cycles, the military in the United States and Europe soberly assess the level of Russian threat. The Pentagon and European defense ministries consider supplying weapons to Ukraine a critically important element of their own security.
By arming the Ukrainian army, Western militaries buy time to prepare their countries for possible direct confrontation with Russia. This pragmatic interest of the military establishment will remain a strong factor pressuring Western governments to continue military aid to Kyiv, regardless of the surnames in high offices.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Повернення старої оборудки: як оточення Трампа може провернути нову газову схему з Росією". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
