The House must act to cut Putin’s Arctic gas lifeline

On Siberia’s edge, cranes rise from tundra at Sabetta on the Yamal Peninsula . From there, tankers carry Russian gas out of the Arctic towards European ports and shipyards.

One is the Boris Davydov, which carried gas from Yamal to Dunkirk before sailing to Denmark for servicing at the Fayard shipyard. Once maintenance ends, it can begin the journey again.

Follow the ship and a whole system becomes visible. Foreign-owned tankers carry gas through the Arctic. European ports that receive them. European shipyards keep them operating. Each stage depends on support beyond Russia.

Yamal’s size disguises a narrow weakness: The project relies on specially designed 14 tankers that can force their way through Arctic ice when other carriers cannot. Without access to this fleet, its winter exports would halt almost entirely.

Russia has reopened Arctic sites and ports and expanded cooperation with China along the Northern Sea Route. Yamal is part of the infrastructure. Putin launched its first tanker in 2017 as evidence of Russia’s growing Arctic power. Every cargo delivered and every tanker repaired helps turn that ambition into a full-blown export system.

Europe has become Yamal’s main destination. During the first six months of 2026, European Union ports received 136 of its 140 cargoes . Those deliveries totaled 9.97 million tons and had an estimated gross value of €5.96 billion.

Americans may ask why Washington should address a trade that Europe finances. In its 21st sanctions package, the EU maintained its planned import ban for pipeline gas but created an exemption for Russian liquefied natural gas. The exemption preserves a commercial role for qualifying European companies, one of which operates five of Yamal’s 14 tankers . It runs until July 25, 2027, then continues for successive one-year periods unless the European Council decides otherwise after an annual review.

Legislation championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) could change the calculation. Graham spent more than a year building support for stronger sanctions and secured White House agreement shortly before his death.

The bipartisan Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act passed the Senate 86-11 on Aug. 7 . President Trump supports it, but the House has not yet scheduled a vote .

The bill names Yamal and the Arctic 1, 2 and 3 liquefied natural gas projects. It requires the president to review covered vessels within 30 days of enactment and block any he determines meets its criteria. The 14 tankers moving Russian gas into Europe offer a defined fleet for review.

The House should pass Graham’s legislation with its Arctic provisions intact. If enacted, the administration should use the 30-day review to examine every Arc7 tanker serving Yamal and coordinate action with Europe, Britain and other allies.

Without action, the Boris Davydov will leave Denmark once again, return to Yamal and load again. Another tanker will follow. Congress can interrupt that journey, weaken Putin’s flagship project and show that Moscow cannot write the commercial rules of the Arctic alone.

Alexander Kirk is senior campaign manager and strategic communications advisor at Urgewald, where he works on sanctions and Russian energy.