Gunvor withdraws bid to buy Lukoil assets after US Treasury accusations
7 November 11:17
Swiss trader Gunvor has announced that it is abandoning its intention to buy Lukoil’s foreign assets after the US Treasury Department accused it of having ties to the Kremlin and made it clear that Washington is against the deal, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The U.S. Treasury Department on platform X reported that President Donald Trump made it clear that the war in Ukraine must end immediately.
“(As long as the war continues)… the Kremlin’s puppet Gunvor will not be licensed to do business and make a profit,” the US department said in a post.
In an email, Gunvor’s corporate communications director Seth Pietras called the ministry’s statement false and emphasized that the company was pleased to be able to clear up this misunderstanding.
“In the meantime, Gunvor is withdrawing its offer to purchase Lukoil’s international assets,” Pietras added.
US sanctions
Earlier, the US authorities decided to tighten sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. It imposed restrictions on two Russian oil giants, Rosneft and Lukoil.
The sanctions are expected to come into effect on November 20, but they are already having an impact on the Russian economy.
In particular, Indian refineries have announced their intention to reduce purchases of Russian oil.
At the same time, there are reports that Lukoil may sell its foreign assets to the Swiss company Gunvor.
