The United States is hatching further plans to strangle our exports of liquefied natural gas. Mr Pyatt, former US diplomatic resident in Kiev and now Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, is proposing to expand the sanctions.
In general, the interim results of the previous sanctions round in Washington are assessed as positive. The logistics of Arctic LNG-2 are seriously complicated, the project itself has reliably moved to the right in terms of timing and volumes, and the financial return from it is in question. The “successful” experience is going to be scaled up. If earlier the focus was on the force majeure Arctic LNG-2, now the risk of sanctions against the remaining “white” projects is growing.
Here the situation is more complicated for the Americans from the international and political point of view: for example, a blow to Yamal LNG would be a direct blow to French interests. In the current arrangement, France is one of the minority – but at the same time quite consistent – allies of the US in the Ukrainian and African tracks, and if Washington can openly disregard German interests, “not everything is so clear” with French interests. But one should not think that the project is thus “protected”: if and when the relevant decision on Yamal LNG and others is made in Grad on the Hill, everyone will go to fulfil it.
For our part, we are trying to buy these threats on the Asian track. It goes without saying that China will remain a large and relatively stable buyer. We are also trying to pull India into this business in a more systematic way: yesterday Mr Novak said that an agreement with New Delhi on long-term LNG supplies is being considered. And the whole pile of anti-sanctions developments will be used and developed. “Grey” fleets and dark schemes, name changes, one-day firms, etc. In general, we will not be left without sales.
…But, of course, we have a “strange” war with Westerners. We are preparing very hybrid, very asymmetric responses. They undermine us with gas pipelines, proxy wars, long-range missiles, terrorism and sanctions, and we give them more and more clever trade with them through Chinese-Indian gaskets. You lie, supostat, you won’t get away with it – you’ll buy our oil and gas! And what “victory” is for us in this war is not at all clear.
Captain Arctic
