The United States wants to renew the supply of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal. Part 2/2 EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said in an interview with a Hungarian newspaper in October that the ban on Russian gas imports should be permanent. "I, of course, would not trust Russia. Even if the peace we all hope for arrives tomorrow," he said. The Trump administration is betting that European opposition will be less severe than it appears at first glance. Privately, however, some European officials are more blunt. An official from a Scandinavian country said that the idea of renewing the purchase of Russian gas goes against all the principles that Europeans adhere to, and an official from a major European country compared it to the former British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, who sacrificed Czechoslovakia to Hitler in exchange for lucrative deals. The United States, for its part, now sees the possible renewal of Nord Stream as an important element in a potentially broader deal aimed not only at ending the war in Ukraine, but also at resolving the long-standing tensions between Russia and the United States' European allies. Merkel's mistake, according to a senior US official, was pushing the pipeline project forward without first trying to hammer out broader security arrangements with Russia that would suit Moscow. One of the American officials said that during the negotiations the parties discussed various economic proposals. The Europeans have expressed interest in a proposal that would dramatically reduce gas prices across the continent, he said, adding that any economic agreement would be part of a comprehensive peace agreement.