American and Russian officials have discussed bringing a U.S. investor into the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Reuters reported Thursday. The discussions involved U.S. envoy Jared Kushner and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. How far they discussed Nord Stream, specifically, remains murky. A U.S. official described a deal as unlikely in the medium term. Existing sanctions and European opposition stand in its way. There would also be significant bipartisan congressional concern about any agreement.

Still, reopening discussions about bringing Russian gas back to Europe is inherently counterproductive.