Trump’s Special Envoy Reportedly Held Secret Talks on Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline in Switzerland

The United States has been secretly negotiating with Russian representatives in Switzerland for the past few weeks about supplying Russian gas to Germany through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Richard Grenell, a special envoy for US President Donald Trump, reportedly traveled to Switzerland multiple times to discuss the deal. It is unclear who else was involved in these talks.

The US and Russia are working on a deal where American companies, rather than the US government, would act as intermediaries for sending Russian gas to Germany via Nord Stream 2, the German newspaper Bild reported on Sunday, March 2.

At the same time, discussions are also taking place about rebuilding the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. The plan is to convert it for transporting green hydrogen from Finland to Germany.

The news comes as relations between Europe and the US are strained after last week’s blowout in the white house between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that risked upending the decades-old trans-Atlantic relationship. 

German government sources told Bild that German officials were not involved in these talks and were unaware of Grenell’s meetings in Switzerland. Grenell has denied taking part in any negotiations.

Additionally, the Financial Times reported earlier that Matthias Warnig, the former managing director of Nord Stream 2 AG, is working on restarting the pipeline with support from American investors. 

Other Topics of Interest

Trump Says Will ‘Not Put Up With’ Zelensky War Stance

Trump also took aim at European leaders who met Zelensky for crisis talks in London at the weekend, saying that they had “stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.”

Bild mentions that US businessman Stephen Lynch, who has strong connections in Moscow and Washington, is among those interested in the project.

Earlier in February, Reuters reported that US and Russian representatives have been holding secret discussions in Switzerland for several months. 

These talks were reportedly focused on the Russian-Ukrainian war and are believed to have been through informal communication channels that opened after Donald Trump won the US presidential election in November 2024 but before his official inauguration in January.

Sources cited by the publication said the participants were not government officials but individuals with diplomatic or security backgrounds, without naming them.