Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican in a toss-up reelection race, publicly disagreed with President Trump’s October 16 waiver of new Russia sanctions, then pivoted to praising Trump’s support for Alaska energy, NBC News reported. A week after that, FT and NYT stories aired a former executive’s claim that a Russian company was bankrolling Polar LNG, a North Slope gas venture, putting Russian energy and Alaska energy in the same story. The Dan Sullivan Russia sanctions record matters here because he cosponsored the law Trump waived.
Where it stands: Through October 26, the coverage reviewed for this article contained no on-the-record response from Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski or Gov. Mike Dunleavy to the October 23-24 Polar LNG reports.
The financing claim belongs to Joel Riddle, who left Polar LNG’s CEO job in September, and it is contested. The company has labeled him a “disgruntled former employee” and has rejected the claims, saying it complies with U.S. law. Novatek says the project would need “the necessary approvals from both American and Russian authorities,” and Tech Wave, the Abu Dhabi firm Polar LNG says financed it, says Novatek holds no ownership in Tech Wave. Business Standard added that no U.S. authority “has publicly established that the alleged financing constituted a sanctions violation.” Our main report has the full account.
What Sullivan said about the waiver
Sullivan’s comments came on October 17, the day after Trump signed the waiver, on Fox News, in an appearance alongside Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, according to HuffPost. NBC News summarized it this way: Sullivan “said in his own Fox News interview that he does not agree with waiving the sanctions, though quickly shifted to acknowledge Trump’s support for Alaska energy.” A full transcript of Sullivan’s remarks was not available in the coverage reviewed, so his exact words are not quoted here.
Cruz, standing beside him, was blunter. “Yeah. Look, I wish the president hadn’t done it. I think it was a mistake,” Cruz said, as quoted by HuffPost.
Sullivan had previewed the position a day earlier. At an October 15 debate with Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, he was asked about Trump’s move to let Russian diesel onto the world market. “I just led the effort on a Russia sanctions act that passed the Congress, so I’m opposed to that,” he said, according to NBC News. NBC rates the race a toss-up, one that “could determine control of the Senate in November.”
The Dan Sullivan Russia sanctions record, in the documents
The bill’s own text shows where both senators stood. S. 5025, introduced July 16, 2026, lists Sen. Darline Graham as its sponsor, and both Alaska senators appear in the long cosponsor list (“Mr. Sullivan” and “Ms. Murkowski”). NBC’s debate report did not spell out what role Sullivan meant when he said he “led the effort.” KTUU reported the Senate passed the final law 86-11 in August and Trump signed it September 18.
The introduced text reaches into Arctic gas. It lists as potential targets anyone who is a leader, senior executive or controlling shareholder of “The Yamal Liquefied Natural Gas Project or a successor project” and “The Arctic 1, 2, and 3 Liquefied Natural Gas Projects or a successor project.” ADN has described Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 as Novatek’s two Siberian Arctic projects. Raw Story, summarizing the NYT, said the recent legislation “specifically targets Novatek.” Trump’s waiver set much of that aside; the scope of the waiver is in our Graham Act waiver explainer.
Both senators have backed Russia energy restrictions before. KTUU reported that Murkowski and Sullivan “helped introduce a similar bill in the Senate soon after Russia invaded Ukraine,” and that the resulting import ban “passed the Senate 100-0 on April 7, 2022, with both Alaska senators voting yes.”
| Date | Alaska delegation action | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mar. 2022 | Murkowski co-introduces Russian energy import ban | Murkowski release |
| Apr. 2022 | Both senators vote yes on import ban, 100-0 | KTUU |
| Jul. 2026 | Both listed as cosponsors of S. 5025 | govinfo.gov |
| Oct. 9-12, 2026 | Murkowski criticizes diesel easing, signs letter | KTUU |
| Oct. 15, 2026 | Sullivan says he opposes the diesel move | NBC News |
| Oct. 17, 2026 | Sullivan disagrees with waiver on Fox | NBC News |
Murkowski’s harder line
Murkowski has been more direct in writing. In March 2022, her office says, she and then-Sen. Joe Manchin introduced the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act to bar Russian oil, petroleum products, “liquefied natural gas, and coal.” Her same release pressed President Biden to “remove his administration’s sanctions on resource projects in Alaska,” a reminder that Alaska’s senators have long paired Russia pressure with pushes for more Alaska production.
This month, after Trump announced a deal allowing Russian diesel sales, Murkowski posted that “the President should be using those authorities instead of allowing Russia to export diesel, rake in revenues, and continue its catastrophic war in Ukraine,” KTUU reported. She then joined a bipartisan letter that called the deal “a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies.” Senate reaction to the diesel deal is collected in our roundup of GOP senators who broke with Trump.
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Alaska energy: where Sullivan stands with Trump
Sullivan has tied himself closely to Trump on Alaska energy. On September 30, Trump announced a South Korean investment in the Alaska LNG pipeline and, according to Alaska Public Media, said: “This is a great senator who is totally responsible for this pipeline.” Sullivan, standing behind him, called it “the most important project in our state by far.”
When Korean officials said no investment had been committed, Sullivan spokesperson Amanda Coyne told ADN, “What we’re seeing is part of the negotiation,” adding: “Bottom line: this is going to get built.” That project, Glenfarne’s Alaska LNG, is separate from Polar LNG, which would ship North Slope gas by tanker; the two are compared in our Polar LNG vs. Alaska LNG breakdown.
Polar LNG in Alaska: what officials have and have not said
Polar LNG courted Alaska’s energy establishment this year. The agenda of the May Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, which the governor’s office describes as Dunleavy’s annual event, shows then-CEO Riddle giving a plenary talk titled “Polar LNG: America’s Next Energy Frontier Starts in Alaska.” The governor’s office called the 2026 gathering the “fifth annual” conference. Nothing in the coverage reviewed indicates that Dunleavy, Sullivan or Murkowski endorsed the company or knew of any Novatek funding claim at the time.
Since the reports, the record from Alaska’s top officials is thin. As of October 26, the coverage reviewed showed no public statement from any of the three on the Riddle allegations. Raw Story, relaying the NYT, said there was “no indication” that White House negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had known of any Novatek link to the startup, and no source reviewed ties any Alaska official to the alleged financing.
Dunleavy’s own time in office is ending: ADN reported that he “steps down in December after meeting his two-term limit.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Dan Sullivan say about Russia sanctions?
NBC News reported that Sen. Dan Sullivan said in an October 17 Fox News interview that he did not agree with President Trump’s waiver of the new Russia sanctions, before turning to Trump’s support for Alaska energy. In an October 15 debate he said of the Russian diesel easing that he was opposed to it.
Did Sullivan and Murkowski support the Russia sanctions law?
Yes. Both Alaska senators are listed as cosponsors of S. 5025, the Senate bill introduced July 16, 2026, that became the Graham Act. The Senate passed the law 86-11 in August, and Trump signed it September 18.
Has Sullivan commented on Polar LNG and Novatek?
Not publicly, based on the coverage reviewed through October 26. None of the articles examined quoted Sullivan, Murkowski or Gov. Mike Dunleavy responding to the Polar LNG financing reports.
Does the Russia sanctions law mention Arctic LNG projects?
The bill as introduced lists leaders, senior executives and controlling shareholders of the Yamal LNG project, the Arctic LNG 1, 2 and 3 projects and new Arctic projects among those subject to sanctions. President Trump waived most of the law’s Russia sanctions on October 16.
Sources
- Trump doubles down after waiving new Russia sanctions, calling it a ‘very good decision’ — NBC News, October 17, 2026
- Ted Cruz Calls Trump Waiving Sanctions Against Russia ‘Mistake’ — HuffPost, October 17, 2026
- Alaska Senate candidates clash over the Iran war, high prices and their times in office — NBC News, October 16, 2026
- S. 5025, Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 (introduced) — U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo.gov), July 16, 2026
- Murkowski, bipartisan senators urge Trump to reverse Russian diesel deal as president rallies in Wasilla — Alaska’s News Source (KTUU), October 14, 2026
- Murkowski Supports Additional Penalties for Russia — Office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, April 7, 2022
- Trump claims South Korea will invest $50B in Alaska gas pipeline. Not so fast, Korean officials say — Alaska Public Media, September 30, 2026
- South Korean official says Trump announcement on Alaska LNG went ‘far beyond what was agreed’ — Anchorage Daily News, October 2, 2026
- Top executives quit $25 bn US gas project over alleged Russian control — Business Standard, October 25, 2026
- Whistleblower CEO quits over hidden Russian cash behind gas deal in Trump peace talks: NYT — Raw Story, October 24, 2026
- Texas investor with Trump family ties pursues project to tap North Slope gas — Anchorage Daily News, March 3, 2026
- Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference Highlights Global Interest in Alaska Energy and Minerals Resources — Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, May 2026
- Agenda — Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, May 19-21, 2026
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.