After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the fate of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline seemed to be decided. However, with Donald Trump’s return to the White House, that seems to be changing. As reported Financial Times, a group of American companies is working on the restoration of the project.
According to the publication, the initiative comes from Matthias Warnig, a former employee of the Stasi, close to Vladimir Putin and the former head of Nord Stream. The plan envisages the possibility of concluding an agreement with Gazprom after the lifting of sanctions against the Russian company. The FT notes that Warnig is trying to establish contacts with the Trump team through American businessmen as part of a broader effort to end the war in Ukraine while increasing economic cooperation with Russia.
According to sources in Washington, leading representatives of the new administration are aware of this plan and see it as a way to restore relations with Moscow. If implemented, it could give the US unprecedented control over energy supplies to Europe. This decision, which until recently seemed impossible, shows how deep Trump’s rapprochement with the Kremlin can be.
A symbol of Europe’s dependence on the Kremlin
“Nord Stream 2” (Nord Stream 2) is it project gas pipeline, which was intended to transport Russian natural gas to Europe via the Baltic Sea, bypassing traditional transit countries, including Ukraine. The gas pipeline was planned as an extension of the existing “Nord Stream” and consisted of two threads with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
At one time, the project caused considerable controversy criticism on the part of Ukraine and a number of European countries, as its implementation could increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and reduce Ukraine’s transit revenues. In addition, Nord Stream 2 contradicted the EU’s strategy to diversify sources of energy supplies.
In 2021, after the completion of construction, the pipeline was filled with technical gas, but did not receive certification from Germany due to political and environmental reasons, as well as pressure from the United States, which imposed sanctions on companies involved in the project. In September 2022, both Nord Stream 2 strings were damaged by explosions, leading to a gas leak into the Baltic Sea. These incidents called concerns about the security of energy infrastructure in the region and questioned the possibility of using the pipeline in the future.
Thus, as of March 2025, Nord Stream 2 remains inactive and its future use is uncertain due to technical failures and geopolitical circumstances.
“This is one of the few things we have done for Ukraine”
It is significant that during his first presidential term, Donald Trump had a completely different view of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project. He criticized Germany for its participation in the project, noting that the country is becoming dependent on Russian energy resources while receiving protection from the United States. In June 2019, Trump announced the possibility of introducing sanctions against the participants in the construction of Nord Stream-2, stressing that he was considering such measures. In September 2020, after the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Trump confirmed his position on the need to cancel the Nord Stream 2 project. He noted that he supported this decision all along and raised this issue at the beginning of his presidency.
Let’s quote the publication “Voice of America” dated 09/07/2020, whose journalist asked during a press conference in the White House whether Trump supported the pressure on the then Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, to cancel the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project after the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. What did Trump answer?
“Yes, I have supported it all along. I was the first to raise this issue. You have never heard of Nord Stream-2 before. When I arrived, I asked: “Wait a minute, we are defending Germany from Russia. But Germany pays Russia billions of dollars for energy. And as a result, 60-70% of their energy resources will come from Russia. And I’ve been talking about it for years and nobody wants to talk about it. This is one of many things along with sanctions and what we have done for Ukraine. I raised this question a long time ago. Russia is not at all happy that I raised this issue”.
Thus, during his first term, Donald Trump consistently opposed the implementation of Nord Stream-2, expressing concern about Europe’s energy dependence on Russia and considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against project participants.
Has Trump changed his mind?
And only recently, on March 2, 2025, it became known that the peace plan of former US President Donald Trump may include restoration of the “North Stream-2” gas pipeline. This announcement caused discussions about the possible impact of such a step on the energy security of Europe and Ukraine.
In addition, in January 2025, the far-right candidate for the position of Chancellor of Germany stated about the intention to resume the operation of the “Nord Stream”, which also caused a discussion among experts and politicians about the expediency of such a decision. As reported by the publication Financial Times, the Swiss company Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, received a four-month postponement in the bankruptcy case. Gazprom, which owns the company, hopes that the situation around the gas pipeline will change after the presidential elections in the United States and parliamentary elections in Germany in early 2025. The company noted that the sanctions regime and “geopolitical complexity” can justify this delay.
As you know, Joe Biden’s Administration introduced sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG and its head Warnig in 2022. However, already last year, American businessman Steven Lynch expressed interest in buying Nord Stream 2, although his proposal did not find support in Washington. Later, other potential investors appeared, and Gazprom’s negotiations were conducted not with Lynch, but with a consortium led by American companies.
Lynch refrained from commenting, however, as it became known, he submitted an application to the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for a license for a possible deal. Previously, the American businessman had already participated in bidding for the assets of Russian companies that were under sanctions.
What is known about Warnig?
Matthias Warnig, the former executive director of Nord Stream 2 AG, is considered one of Vladimir Putin’s closest Western partners.
In the past, he headed the office of the German “Dresdner Bank” in St. Petersburg, where he closely cooperated with the then unknown city administration official Putin. Their relationship gradually became so close that the president of the Russian Federation entrusted the banker with placing his daughters in his house in Germany after the accident in which their mother was injured.
However, after the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Varnig criticized the Kremlin’s actions, calling the war a “catastrophic mistake,” and left his positions at Kremlin-controlled energy companies. According to him, in 2022 he personally appealed to Putin to stop the war. At the same time, he told the German publication “Die Zeit” that the Russian president is in such isolation that “the only one who can still say something to him is me“.
In 2023, Warnig finally left Nord Stream 2 AG, but, according to him, the head of Gazprom, Oleksiy Miller, promised to provide financial support to the company in the hope of saving the project.
Responding to requests from German publications regarding the revival of Nord Stream-2, Warnig denied participating in any negotiations with American politicians or businessmen, stressing that he abides by all the restrictions imposed on him by US sanctions.
“The Northern Stream cannot be part of peace”
Secret negotiations between Russia and the United States regarding the possibility of American investors buying the damaged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline caused significant opposition in Germany. According to information PICTURE, German government circles have long been discussing the possibility of an agreement between Trump and Putin regarding gas supplies to Europe. Germany is actively studying options to prevent the resumption of Nord Stream 2. Roderich Kiesewetter, CDU foreign policy expert, confirmed newspaper Tagesspiegel that heard about the negotiations on “Nordic Stream-2”. He believes that the commissioning of this gas pipeline would be counterproductive for peace, as it would indicate US support for the aggressor.
The Ministry of Economy, led by Robert Habek (representative of the Green Party), says that it is important for the federal government to maintain independence from Russian gas for security reasons, and they are on that course. In addition, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline does not have certification, so its use is prohibited by law.
According to Bild, former US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell also took part in the talks. He answered the newspaper’s question with sarcasm and called these reports “fake news”.
Thus, returning to the discussion of the possibility of restoring the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline raises serious questions about the true intentions of Washington. This gas pipeline, which was intended not only to provide Europe with Russian gas, but also to weaken the position of Ukraine and other post-Soviet states, is already a symbol of energy dependence on Russia, which may lead to even greater political vulnerability of Europe to the Kremlin.
