Dutch PM Says Europe Won’t Return to Russian Gas Amid US Peace Talks

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten sharply rejected the idea of restoring Russian gas supplies to Europe as part of a potential US-brokered peace agreement with Moscow, calling it a “very stupid idea” and urging Washington to increase sanctions rather than offer economic concessions. Speaking alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky in The Hague on Wednesday, Oct. 28, Jetten responded to reports that US negotiators had floated the possibility of reviving Russian energy exports to Europe as part of a broader settlement to end the war in Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “It is clear that we need to push Putin to take the negotiations seriously,” Jetten said, arguing that Russia was suffering mounting military losses and economic pressure from international sanctions. “The only way forward for Europeans, but also for Americans and others, is to put more sanctions on the Russian regime instead of less,” he said. “So buying Russian energy is a very stupid idea,” Jetten added. The Dutch leader said Europe had demonstrated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it could substantially reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels. “I can assure you that there is no European leader willing to buy Russian gas in the next few years,” he said. Jetten insisted that economic pressure should continue until Moscow ends its invasion. “What we want is Russia to stop this war, and as long as they don’t, we will hit them hard in their pockets with sanctions.” Other Topics of Interest Sumy Region Expands Underground Schooling, 9 New Facilities Under Construction Russian fiber-optic first-person-view (FPV) drones now reach almost 50 kilometers (31 miles) into the region, while roughly 34,000 civilians remain in border areas slated for evacuation. US explores restoring energy ties with Russia Jetten’s remarks come amid reports that Washington is exploring renewed energy cooperation with Moscow as part of negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. As Kyiv Post reported Wednesday, citing the Financial Times, US and Russian officials have discussed the possible return of American energy companies to Russia, including joint oil production projects on Sakhalin and renewed Russian crude exports to Europe through the Druzhba pipeline. Other proposals reportedly include restoring Russian gas supplies to Europe and potentially reviving the Nord Stream pipeline system. The reported discussions involve economic incentives that Moscow could receive under a peace settlement, although no final agreements have been announced. US President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have been involved in negotiations with Russian and Ukrainian officials. Europe has already moved to ban Russian gas The European Union adopted binding legislation in January 2026 to permanently phase out Russian natural gas imports. Under the timetable, long-term Russian liquefied natural gas contracts are to end from January 2027, with remaining pipeline imports phased out by November 2027 at the latest. The measures form part of the EU’s REPowerEU strategy, designed to eliminate dependence on Russian energy and prevent Moscow from using energy supplies as political leverage. Russian gas has not entirely disappeared from the European market. Some EU countries continue receiving Russian liquefied natural gas under existing contracts, but the bloc has committed to ending those purchases. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.