On November 24, a group of four Democratic Senators, led by Ms. Elizabeth Warren, expressed concern about the effectiveness of sanctions against the Russian energy sector under the Trump administration.
Lawmakers say lax supervision of the Arctic LNG 2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project is creating conditions for Russia to maintain an important source of revenue.
According to information from the Senate group, the lack of thorough implementation of restraining measures is allowing China to access LNG from this project at a significant discount, ranging from 30-40%. "This is the latest example that the current administration has not put enough pressure to put Russia on the table to end the conflict," Ms. Warren said in a statement.
Although the US government imposed direct sanctions on two major Russian oil and gas corporations, Lukoil and Rosneft, in October, the Arctic LNG 2 project operated by Novatek Group still seems to have found a way to maintain export activities.
According to cited data, the unit has successfully sold about 14 LNG shipments since August, despite the project being on the sanctions list issued by former President Joe Biden since the end of 2023.
The group described the operation as a multibillion-dollar energy revenue, which would contribute to Russia's military operations in Ukraine's budget. In that situation, lawmakers have called on the US Congress to establish a mechanism for a close review of any proposal to ease or lift future sanctions on Russia, to ensure effective use of economic pressure tools.
Responding to these opinions, a White House official said that President Trump hopes to soon end the conflict and promote a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The official emphasized Trump's view that "there needs to be flexibility" in diplomatic approaches to end the war.
Meanwhile, the US State Department in a document responding to senators affirmed that it would carefully consider the information provided regarding the Arctic LNG 2 liquefied gas project to give appropriate responses. However, the group of lawmakers said that the response had not properly resolved questions about the roadmap for applying specific sanctions to this facility.
