American private equity firm Carlyle is exploring the possibility of buying the foreign assets of the russian oil company Lukoil, which was sanctioned by the United States in late October.
Reuters reported this, citing its own sources.
Three unnamed interlocutors of the agency said that the private investment company Carlyle is studying the issue of buying Lukoil's foreign assets.
The company is currently studying the possibility of applying to the US Treasury Department for a license required for such a transaction.
Reuters sources added that Carlyle has already notified Lukoil of its intention to buy international assets. The company also warned that it reserves the right to refuse the deal
Carlyle Group is the world's largest investment fund, managing over USD 147 billion in assets. It was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.
Reuters notes that Lukoil has been the most active russian oil company abroad in recent decades. It has three refineries in Europe, stakes in oil fields in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Mexico, Ghana, Egypt and Nigeria. The company also owns several networks of gas stations, one of which operates in the United States.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on October 27, Lukoil announced its intention to sell its foreign assets after the US imposed sanctions on the company.
As a reminder, Gunvor was supposed to become the buyer of LUKOIL International GmbH, through which Lukoil manages its foreign assets. It is registered in Switzerland and was founded by russian oligarch Gennady Timchenko. However, this deal was blocked by the US Treasury Department.
As Reuters previously reported, the US and UK sanctions have effectively paralyzed all of Lukoil's international activities.
Last Wednesday, on November 12, we wrote that in less than a month since the sanctions were imposed, Lukoil's market capitalization has fallen by almost USD 10 billion.
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