Czech Ex-Minister Urges Europe to Reject Russian Gas

The Reported US Proposal
According to reports published on Sunday, US President Donald Trump is pushing for a quick return of Russian gas sales to Europe through pipelines that cross Ukraine. The idea, reportedly raised by US officials in September, would see the gas sold through an American intermediary to sidestep European sanctions. The money would then sit in an escrow account in a third country, so the Kremlin could not spend it on the war in Ukraine.

Lipavský was not impressed. He admitted that "probably there will be interested parties" in Europe, but said the continent should say no. Europe, he noted, is in a long and only partly successful fight to wean itself off Russian energy. Routing gas through an escrow account and a middleman who profits from the deal is, in his words, exactly how Russian corruption schemes work. He added that he cannot see Ukraine agreeing to such an arrangement, since it offers Kyiv nothing while the war continues. Buying more Russian energy, he said, simply helps pay for the war Moscow is waging against Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov weighed in on Monday, saying that resuming Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine is currently impossible, whatever interest the Trump administration may have shown. The White House push for stronger energy links with Moscow, including the recent diesel deal, stands in sharp contrast to Trump's position last year, when he demanded that European allies immediately stop buying Russian energy.

Strain in US-Ukraine Ties
Lipavský also turned to Kyiv's position. In his view, handling the recent decline in US-Ukraine relations is among the toughest tasks facing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy right now. Ukraine is dealing with one of its most serious moments in its relationship with Washington, he said, as the US pushes ahead with various energy deals. What Trump is ultimately aiming for, he added, is far from clear.

He also spoke about the US-brokered local humanitarian truce that allowed civilians to be evacuated around the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine. Lipavský called it a positive result, because people were saved. But he was quick to point out that the fighting has not stopped, and that there is little to cheer about in the wider picture.