CHINA’S CHEAP GAS HABIT IS QUIETLY BANKROLLING PUTIN – AND U.S. SANCTIONS ARE A JOKE
Washington has a new headache – and it’s arriving in tanker-sized shipments.
LNG – liquefied natural gas – is just natural gas chilled into a liquid so it can cross oceans. And Russia’s shipping plenty of it. More than plenty.
4 senators say China is buying those shipments at deep discounts, sending billions back to Moscow. They argue U.S. sanctions aren’t hitting hard enough, letting Russian gas money slip through and feed the war in Ukraine.
The administration sees it differently. Officials say Trump wants room for diplomacy while the U.S. and Ukraine shape a new peace framework.
Pressure, sure – but not enough to blow up the talks.
Meanwhile, the numbers don’t lie.
Around 14 cargoes since August. Discounts up to 40 percent. Billions moving. A project sanctioned back in 2023 still humming along.
The senators want answers. The State Department says it is “considering” more action. And the tankers keep moving.
The missiles get the headlines, but the gas tankers may be writing the next chapter.
Source: Reuters