Vladimir Putin discussed a plan to develop Alaska natural gas with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s peace envoys, during talks last month, the New York Times reported on Oct. 23. In the same story, the paper said it had seen nothing suggesting that either man was aware of Polar LNG, the Alaska startup in question, or of how it was tied to Russia’s Novatek. That caveat matters for anyone reading the Witkoff Kushner Putin channel as a deal pipeline: the reporting places the outlines of an Alaska deal in the talks without showing that the envoys knew who was behind it.
Where it stands: In coverage reviewed through Oct. 26, no on-the-record White House comment appeared beyond an unnamed official’s account that the plan came up only in general terms. Witkoff met Putin again on Oct. 21 in St. Petersburg; Kushner did not travel because of illness, Kyiv Post reported, citing media reports. No outlet reviewed has reported what, if anything, was said about Alaska gas at that meeting.
Everything alleged about the venture’s money traces to one man, ex-CEO Joel Riddle, and each company involved rejects his account. Polar LNG labels him a “disgruntled former employee” whom it says it dismissed, and insists “development activities are being pursued in full compliance with applicable US laws.” Novatek rejected, in the FT’s telling, any link between its role and sanctions relief, and Abu Dhabi-based Tech Wave denied that Novatek owns any share of it. As Business Standard put it, “no US authority has publicly established that the alleged financing constituted a sanctions violation.”
What the Times said about the envoys
Alaska journalist Dermot Cole reproduced the paper’s exact wording: “There is no indication that Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner were aware of Polar LNG or its ties to Novatek, even as the broad outlines of the deal came up in their talks with Mr. Putin beginning last year.” Note the timeline in that line. The Times places the general Alaska gas concept in envoy talks “beginning last year,” meaning 2025, with the Polar LNG version discussed with Putin last month.
The paper attributed the Putin discussion to “people familiar with the negotiations,” speaking anonymously “to discuss sensitive diplomacy.” It added that the idea is “one of a series of energy deals White House officials believe could help smooth relations with Moscow.” The Kyiv Independent, summarizing the same report, put it more cautiously: “It is not clear whether Witkoff or Kushner were aware of the financial relationship between Novatek and Polar LNG.” Both outlets describe the same gap. Neither says the envoys knew.
Two administration voices have spoken, both anonymously. A U.S. official told the Times the deal “had only been broadly mentioned and that no granular discussions had occurred.” A White House official told the Financial Times the proposal had been “broadly and briefly mentioned.” It is not clear from the coverage whether they are the same person. The FT separately reported, citing people familiar with the talks, that one proposal paired Novatek’s help on an Alaska plant with sanctions relief for Russia’s Arctic LNG 2; that reported swap is covered in our Arctic LNG 2 explainer.
Witkoff Kushner Putin meetings: a dated record
The envoys’ face-to-face sessions with Putin are a matter of public record, even when the agendas are not. The table below lists those confirmed in the coverage we reviewed, with the energy topics outlets reported for each.
| Date | Meeting | Energy items reported |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 2025 | Witkoff meets Putin and Dmitriev in Moscow | Exxon, U.S. gear for Arctic LNG 2 (Reuters, unnamed sources) |
| Aug. 15, 2025 | Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage | Same deals “briefly discussed,” one Reuters source said |
| Dec. 2, 2025 | Witkoff and Kushner at the Kremlin, about five hours | None reported; no breakthrough |
| Jan. 2026 | Joint Moscow meeting, confirmed in advance by a White House official | None reported |
| Sept. 5, 2026 | Kremlin talks, about three hours, with Dmitriev present | Lukoil assets; Alaska gas plan (NYT) |
| Oct. 21, 2026 | Witkoff alone in St. Petersburg; Kushner ill | None reported on Alaska |
The September visit is the one the Times ties to Alaska. A White House official told ABC News the envoys discussed “substantive plans for next steps,” and said National Security Council, State and Treasury staff sat in. Treasury’s presence stands out because Polar LNG is seeking a license from that department’s sanctions unit, OFAC, to acquire unfinished Russian infrastructure, per Business Standard. Even so, no outlet has reported that those officials discussed the Alaska plan.
The Times also reported, according to Ukrainska Pravda, that Putin raised the sale of Lukoil’s foreign assets at the same meeting, citing “three people familiar with the meeting.” The paper noted “there is no evidence that Kushner or Witkoff stand to profit personally from the agreement.” That deal is detailed in our Lukoil report.
Kirill Dmitriev’s part in the energy track
Kirill Dmitriev, chief of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Putin’s point man on investment, has repeatedly pitched economic cooperation in public. After U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh in February 2025, he told Politico: “It was more a general discussion — maybe joint projects in the Arctic. We specifically discussed the Arctic.” Reuters, citing three sources, reported that energy deals came up when Witkoff met Putin and Dmitriev in Moscow in August 2025; four sources said those included Russia buying U.S. equipment for LNG projects “such as Arctic LNG 2.”
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He sat in on the Sept. 5 Kremlin meeting, according to a pool photo caption published by ABC News, and afterward posted photos with Witkoff and Kushner captioned “important peacemaking visit.” When Trump set aside most of the Graham Act on Oct. 16, Dmitriev wrote: “The U.S.-Russia economic dialogue and peacemaking efforts will continue.” In the coverage reviewed as of Oct. 26, no outlet reported that Dmitriev discussed Polar LNG by name.
What is not known
Several basic questions remain open. The Times did not publish what Putin proposed about Alaska, how the envoys responded, or whether the idea has come up since. In the coverage reviewed, the administration has not said whether anyone on the U.S. side asked who was financing Polar LNG. And no official has publicly connected the Oct. 16 waiver to the Alaska plan in the coverage reviewed; Raw Story’s summary of the Times noted only that the waiver came a week earlier. Back in 2025, a White House official told Reuters that “it is not in the national interest to further negotiate these issues publicly.”
Critics have weighed in on the concept rather than the envoys’ knowledge. Geoffrey Pyatt, who handled energy diplomacy at State in the Biden years, told the Times the idea “feeds the belief that Putin can get an out-of-jail-free card.” The full list of energy proposals reported in these talks is in our roundup of Russia energy deals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were the envoys aware of who was funding Polar LNG?
Not according to the reporting. The Times wrote: “There is no indication that Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner were aware of Polar LNG or its ties to Novatek.” An unnamed U.S. official said the deal came up only in broad terms.
When did Putin discuss the Alaska gas plan with Witkoff and Kushner?
The Times said Putin discussed it last month, and the Kyiv Independent identified that as the envoys’ September visit. Witkoff and Kushner met Putin at the Kremlin on Sept. 5, 2026.
What is Kirill Dmitriev’s role?
Dmitriev heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund and is Putin’s investment envoy. He has promoted joint Arctic energy projects since early 2025, attended envoy meetings, and praised the Graham Act waiver. No outlet reviewed reported him discussing Polar LNG by name.
Is any official inquiry into the envoys reported?
None. Coverage reviewed through Oct. 26 describes no inquiry, finding or charge involving Witkoff, Kushner or Polar LNG, and the companies named deny Riddle’s claims.
Sources
- Russia secretly backed Alaska LNG shipping scheme (quoting the New York Times) — Reporting From Alaska (Dermot Cole), October 25, 2026
- Whistleblower CEO quits over hidden Russian cash behind gas deal in Trump peace talks: NYT — Raw Story, October 24, 2026
- Sanctioned Russian energy giant secretly funded US gas project, NYT reports — Kyiv Independent, October 24, 2026
- Former CEO: Russian Firm Backed Alaska Gas Venture — Newsmax (via Yahoo News), October 24, 2026
- Top executives quit $25 bn US gas project over alleged Russian control — Business Standard, October 25, 2026
- Witkoff, Kushner meet with Putin to discuss Ukraine war — ABC News (Good Morning America), September 5, 2026
- Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner to meet Putin in Moscow Thursday for talks — Fox News, January 21, 2026
- Witkoff Arrives in St. Petersburg for Putin Talks as US and Ukraine Agree on Peace Proposals — Kyiv Post, October 21, 2026
- US and Russian Officials Discussed Energy Deals Alongside Latest Ukraine Peace Talks — gCaptain (Reuters), August 26, 2025
- Russia and US Talks Joint Arctic Energy Projects After Saudi Meeting — High North News, February 2025
- Trump waives Russia-linked sanctions, citing national interest — CNBC, October 17, 2026
- US and Russia reportedly negotiate multibillion-dollar deal on Lukoil assets (citing the NYT) — Ukrainska Pravda, October 3, 2026
- Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (Executive Order 14436) — The White House, October 16, 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.