Ex-CEO Says Russia's Novatek Secretly Financed $25 Billion Alaska Gas Venture

A former chief executive of a $25 billion Alaska natural gas venture has accused Russian energy giant Novatek of secretly financing the project and directing its operations, and he left the company over the arrangement. Interviews and documents indicate that Novatek secretly funded the U.S. firm behind the project, according to reporting on the matter. The gas deal has been discussed in U.S. talks with the Kremlin aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on August 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to negotiate an end to that war.

Right-leaning Newsmax leads with the former executive's accusation. Its headline calls him a former CEO and says a Russian firm backed the venture, and its excerpt features the $25 billion value and the claim that Novatek directed operations. That excerpt does not mention Trump or the peace talks. Left-leaning outlets lead with the diplomatic setting. The New York Times headline places the hidden financing inside U.S. gas talks with the Kremlin and cites interviews and documents. Raw Story, citing the Times, calls the executive a whistleblower who quit, links the deal to Trump's peace talks, and shows a photo of the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska. Both sides agree that Novatek secretly funded the project. They differ in emphasis: the right on the executive's allegation and Novatek's control, the left on the Ukraine negotiations. Alternative / independent outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and right-leaning outlets had.