Investigate Russian Financing Behind Polar LNG and Trump's Peace Talks

Investigate the Russian financing behind Polar LNG and its role in Trump's Ukraine peace negotiations. This is not a partisan complaint. It is a sanctions violation with documented evidence, and the silence from federal officials is inexcusable. The New York Times has reviewed text messages showing Novatek deputy chairman Denis Solovyov and CEO Leonid Mikhelson arranged to send up to $15 million to Polar LNG's parent company, Tech Wave, to keep the project alive. Novatek is under partial U.S. sanctions. Memos from law firm Baker Botts, attached to the CEO's resignation letter, confirm Treasury sanctions enforcers flagged "potential Russia-related sanctions concerns." Joel Riddle, who ran Polar LNG until he resigned in September, says he was misled into believing the money came from a UAE firm, and that he personally warned the Trump administration. The Energy Department never responded. Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner discussed this project with Putin last month. Trump then temporarily waived Russia sanctions, claiming it was necessary for peace talks. As former State Department official Geoffrey Pyatt put it, this feeds the belief that Putin can get an "out-of-jail-free card." That is not diplomacy. That is leverage handed to a foreign adversary. A full investigation is the only appropriate response.