Tag: international

The post US allows buyers to negotiate for Lukoil’s overseas assets until December 13 despite sanctions starting November 21 appeared com. The United States Treasury just gave buyers a way in. On Friday, it issued a special license that lets companies start negotiating with Lukoil over its foreign assets. The catch? They’ve got until December 13 to close in, while sanctions slapped by President Donald Trump kick in on November 21 against the Russian oil giant. This move is Washington’s way of letting buyers make a deal without crashing global energy supply chains. This isn’t a free-for-all, though. Washington still wants to choke Russia’s oil revenue, especially from its second-biggest player. But it also knows that cutting Lukoil off completely would mess with gas stations, refineries, and pipelines all over the place. So now it’s letting talks happen, for now. Gunvor blocked, Carlyle steps in, Treasury sets harsh terms Last week, the Treasury Department straight-up blocked a deal. It shot down a plan by Swiss firm Gunvor to buy Lukoil’s global business, calling the company a “Kremlin puppet.” With that door slammed shut, a new name appeared: Carlyle. The US private equity group is reportedly eyeing Lukoil’s assets next, but hasn’t even started its homework. No due diligence yet on any of Lukoil’s oilfields, refineries, or its network of gas stations. That said, even if Carlyle, or anyone else, wants in, it won’t be easy. The Treasury will block any deal unless it fully separates Lukoil from its international operations. On top of that, the money from the deal would have to go into a blocked account. The Russian company can’t touch it unless, and only if, the sanctions get lifted. No exceptions. Lukoil, for its part, already saw the writing on the wall. Just a few days after Trump went after both it and Rosneft, the biggest oil producer in Russia, Lukoil announced it would start selling its international portfolio.