Relations between Russia and the United States hit a post-Cold War low following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with President Joe Biden’s administration sanctioning hundreds of entities and individuals to support the war effort.
Novatek is trying to restore relations with the West pending the end of the war in Ukraine, one of the sources said.
According to the interlocutor, the top executive director and board member of the company Denis Solovyov recently visited Washington to start working with an American lobbying firm. The publication writes that Novatek and lobbyists plan to contact US government agencies in the coming weeks.
But US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt told Reuters the State Department was aware of Novatek’s visit to Washington, but suggested the company would not make significant progress in relations with the Biden administration.
“This is not the time for business as usual with Russia… Russia is in a penal zone, and my job is to make sure it stays there as long as possible — as long as the illegal war continues, of course,” Payette said.
