[By Guancha Observer Network, Zhang Jingjuan] On the 23rd, Politico quoted five informed sources as saying that as part of the discussion on ending the Ukraine conflict, the White House is internally discussing whether to lift sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project and other Russian assets in Europe. In response to this report, US Secretary of State Rubio and Middle East Envoy Witkowski both denied it on platform X.

Insiders revealed that Middle East envoy Witkowski has been a major supporter of lifting sanctions on Russia. Two people familiar with the matter said that Witkowski had stated he had established a friendship with Putin, and as part of his efforts to push for lifting sanctions, he instructed his team to draft a list of all energy sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia.

Another informed source said that although Witkowski proposed this idea, so far it has not gained much support within the White House, and Rubio attempted to block it. In addition to Rubio, opponents also include Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is also the head of the White House Energy Steering Committee.

The informed source said, "Although the ingredients are ready, this is not yet a 'baked cake'."

It was reported that Laurent Ruseckas, executive director of S&P Global Commodity Insights, said that allowing Russia to resume natural gas transportation through Nord Stream 2 or Arctic 2 liquefied natural gas pipelines would lower global natural gas prices and put American liquefied natural gas exporters like Cheniere Energy and other companies in direct competition with Russia.

Ruseckas said in an interview, "If Russian natural gas returns to the market, it will reduce the appetite of potential buyers of American liquefied natural gas."

The report pointed out that if sanctions are lifted, it will reverse the policy tone established during Trump's first term. In December 2019, Trump signed a bill imposing sanctions on companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 project. Former President Biden announced the withdrawal of relevant sanctions shortly after taking office but re-imposed them after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Restarting Nord Stream 2 could bring Moscow a benefit, but only if the EU agrees to buy Russian natural gas again through this pipeline. The report believes that given the EU's ongoing efforts to decouple from Russian energy, this prospect seems unlikely. However, lifting sanctions would be a diplomatic victory for Russia and also represents a major concession by the Trump administration.

In response to Politico's report, Rubio refuted on social media, "This is undoubtedly wrong. Neither Witkowski nor I have discussed lifting sanctions on Russia as part of any agreement with Ukraine. This is the dereliction of duty by journalists. If Politico still has any integrity, they would withdraw this fictional article."

Witkowski also said, "This report does not contain an ounce of truth. Politico has once again been played by its 'sources'. It's embarrassing for them to publish such false garbage reports."

"Nord Stream" leakage points map by The Guardian

The Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline is approximately 1222 kilometers long and runs parallel to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany. The project consists of two branches and has a designed annual delivery capacity of about 55 billion cubic meters, aiming to bypass traditional transit countries like Ukraine and directly supply natural gas to Europe. The project officially began construction in 2015 and was completed on September 10, 2021, but due to U.S. obstruction, it has not been operational.

In late September 2022, explosions occurred in the Nord Stream pipeline, with three of the four lines leaking and four leakage points located near Swedish and Danish waters. Putin previously mentioned in an interview that although Nord Stream 2 was damaged, one line remained intact and could transport natural gas to Europe; Russia was ready, but Germany refused to open it.

In early March, the Financial Times reported that former East German Stasi official and Western-viewed Putin "ally," Matthias Waning, was plotting to restart the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with support from U.S. investors. Several companies have expressed interest in investing.

In late March, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov revealed that Russia and the United States had discussed the Nord Stream gas pipeline issue.

Notably, during the 2022-2023 energy crisis, although American liquefied natural gas helped fill some of the supply gap left by Russia's exit to a certain extent, the EU, which had pledged to stop importing Russian energy by 2027, is now considering purchasing Russian gas again.

Reuters previously reported that as Trump destabilized the post-WWII relationship between Europe and America and used energy as a trade negotiation chip, European businesses began to be wary of dependence on the U.S., seeing it as a vulnerability.

This article is an exclusive piece by Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Original link: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496857653763703359/

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