[Skybird]

A devastating American betrayal. It's getting worse and worse.


[Frankfurter Rundschau] Europe is left out – is the US planning a comeback for Putin's pipeline?

The US is apparently interested in European gas and oil pipelines. Talks with Russia are said to be underway. A new dependency is looming.

The rapprochement between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is just as unpredictable as Trump's apparent turning away from the West. Although Trump had announced his intention to ease sanctions against Russia, and deals on Arctic cooperation were also within the realm of possibility, the Trump administration then tightened important sanctions against Russia and also considered higher tariffs. At the same time, negotiations on energy infrastructure within Europe are said to be underway.

Since 2022, efforts have been underway throughout Europe to break away from Russian energy supplies. Dependent countries like Austria had also sought ways and means to, for example, cut off natural gas supplies and thus inflict maximum damage on the war chest of Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin. However, now, almost two months after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, negotiations between the US and Russia are said to be taking place over Europe's heads.

Research by CORRECTIV and Istories has revealed several ways in which the US and Russia could make Europe dependent on Russian energy again. For several months, emissaries from the US and Germany have reportedly been establishing contacts between Russia and the US. Documents from the insolvency proceedings of Nord Stream 2 AG in Switzerland indicate negotiations. The company is reportedly in "intensive contact with the financial investors" there, the company reportedly stated before a Swiss cantonal court.

According to CORRECTIV information, it is also possible that US companies could take over the German holdings in the Russian Rosneft Group. This would then give them a majority stake in the important Schwedt refinery, which has been supplying oil via the so-called Druzhba pipeline for many years. This route runs from Russia to Central Europe. Talks between US and Russian representatives are said to already be underway, and the Federal Chancellery and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy are also involved.

For Europe, these negotiations could prove to be a trap. The scenario: On the one hand, the US weakens Germany's auto industry through higher tariffs, while Russian oil and gas flow through US pipelines. "Two sides are clapping their hands: the Russians and the Americans. One sells raw materials, the other transports them. Both get paid for it, and the Europeans pay the price," CORRECTIV quoted a source close to the negotiations as saying. The decision could be made as early as this week.

However, some things remain unclear. Even if the US invests in the Nord Stream 2 and Druzhba pipelines, this will not initially change the EU's policy of disengagement from Russia. The countries would still not buy gas from Russia. The US would therefore have to exert pressure beforehand to ensure that Europe at least partially abandons its stance or eases sanctions.

However, the Druzhba pipeline has been experiencing problems for some time. Just on March 11, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced that oil deliveries through the pipeline had been halted due to the war in Ukraine. A Ukrainian drone had hit parts of the pipeline on Russian territory. The pipeline is particularly important for Hungary because the country imports a large portion of its crude oil through it.

"Due to the drone attack, crude oil deliveries through the Druzhba oil pipeline have been suspended," the Kyiv Independent news portal quoted Szijjártó as saying. Hungary was one of the countries that received a reprieve from the EU to separate itself from Russian energy imports. However, the Hungarian government maintains a pro-Kremlin stance in many matters and has threatened blackmail and possible blockages in key EU votes in the past.

Szijjártó also called on Ukraine to refrain from attacks on energy infrastructure that Hungary supports. "Hungary's energy supply is a matter of sovereignty."

In 2022, the Druzhba pipeline was still delivering 750,000 to 800,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Its total capacity was said to be up to 1.4 million barrels per day. As recently as 2022, Euronews described it as the "core" of the Central European energy sector, which had built and sustained an entire ecosystem of diverse companies and thus also jobs. At the same time, however, the pipeline had made many countries dependent on Russian energy imports.

For several weeks, there have been increasing signs that such negotiations between the US and Russia could take place. The crucial Nord Stream 2 pipeline was also the subject of rumors. This pipeline was never certified by Germany, so it cannot deliver gas.
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As dirty a "deal" as it gets.