US senators say Trump has failed to prevent Russian LNG from helping fund war in Ukraine
(Corrects paragraphs 5 and 6 to show that the statement was made only by Senator Elizabeth Warren, not by all four Democratic senators)
by Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration’s lax enforcement of sanctions against Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 export terminal is allowing China to buy discounted liquefied natural gas and helping Moscow finance the war in Ukraine, four Democratic U.S. senators said on Monday.
Lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, had called on the Trump administration in September to reinstate targeted sanctions on Russian energy sources, saying it was giving China a “free pass” by allowing it to buy discounted LNG from the Arctic LNG 2.
The administration imposed its first direct sanctions on Russia in October against Russia’s two largest oil and gas companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, and said other sanctions against Russian entities could follow.
But Arctic LNG 2 operator Novatek, co-owned by some of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, has sold about 14 cargoes of LNG since August, with Chinese buyers receiving discounts of about 30% to 40%.
“This is the latest example of Donald Trump’s failure to put pressure on Putin and bring Russia to the negotiating table,” Warren said in a statement.
BILLIONS IN REVENUE
Warren said LNG from Arctic LNG 2 “is an energy revenue stream worth billions of dollars for Putin’s war machine that has previously been disrupted by consistent, targeted US sanctions.” Former President Joe Biden first sanctioned the project in late 2023.
Senators pressed the administration on what they called lax enforcement of sanctions after U.S. and Ukrainian officials said they were drafting a “refined peace framework” after talks in Geneva on Sunday, without providing details.
A White House official said Trump wants the killings to end and for Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace agreement. “President Trump believes there is a chance to end this senseless war if flexibility is shown.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In its responses Friday to Warren and other senators who sent the September letter, including Tim Kaine and Chris Van Hollen, the State Department said “we will carefully consider imposing sanctions in response” to information the senators sent about Arctic LNG 2.
Senators said the State Department did not respond to any of their questions about sanctioning the facility.
Congress should demand a review of any proposal to ease U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over its Ukraine invasion “rather than allowing Trump to relinquish what remains of our critical influence,” the senators said.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington. Editing by Rod Nickel and Matthew Lewis)
