IGORA /Leningrad Region/, December 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval to carry out transactions with Rosneft shares is a corporate matter, which cannot be made public, particularly given the unfavorable economic environment, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated.

"These matters are related to corporate development, which cannot be disclosed publicly, especially in the atmosphere of a rather unfriendly economic environment," he told reporters when asked to comment on the president’s decision.

On Tuesday, Putin authorized Rosneft shareholders to carry out transactions with the company’s shares under special economic policies in the financial and fuel-energy sectors due to unfriendly actions by certain foreign states and international organizations. These policies, introduced in the summer of 2022, restrict any transactions involving shares of Russian companies for investors from unfriendly countries.

Rosneft’s largest shareholders are state-run Rosneftegaz (40.4%), BP Russian Investments Limited (19.75%), Qatar-based QH Oil Investments (18.46%), and RN-Neft Capitalinvest (9.6%). The UK-based BP announced in February 2022 that it would exit the Russian company’s shareholding structure but remains a shareholder of Rosneft to this day.