Russia's largest gas producer tries to lift US sanctions
Russia's largest gas producer tries to lift US sanctions (photo: Russian media)
Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer, Novatek, is trying to restore relations with the United States. Its goal is to lift the sanctions imposed earlier this year, reports Reuters.
Relations between Russia and the United States reached their lowest level since the Cold War following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 when President Joe Biden's administration imposed sanctions on hundreds of entities and individuals for supporting the war effort.
According to one of the sources, Novatek is seeking to restore relations with the West in anticipation of the end of the war in Ukraine.
According to the source, the company's senior executive director and board member Denis Solovyov recently visited Washington to start working with an American lobbying firm. The newspaper writes that Novatek and the lobbyists plan to contact American government agencies in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Geoffrey Pyatt told Reuters that the State Department was aware of Novatek's visit to Washington, but suggested that the company would not make much progress in its relations with the Biden administration.
"Now is not the time for business as usual with Russia. Russia is in the penalty box and it’s my job to ensure it stays there as long as possible - certainly as long as the illegal war continues," said Pyatt.
Sanctions against Russian gas companies
Last month, the United States imposed sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank as it stepped up its attempts to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
According to Putin's latest decree, foreign buyers can now use other banks to convert their money into rubles before transferring it.
However, Gazprombank is still the only authorized institution to make payments.
Recently, it became known that even some in the EU are persuading the US to ease sanctions against Russia's Gazprombank.
