BUCHAREST, November 10. /TASS/. Romanian President Nicusor Dan’s economic adviser, Radu Burnete, said that the purchase of Lukoil’s assets by the state "cannot be ruled out."
"This is a possibility that cannot be ruled out. But we need to understand that Lukoil alone decides who to sell [its assets to]," he said in an interview with the Digi24 TV channel.
Any Lukoil decision to sell assets in Romania must be "evaluated by the Romanian state," the adviser noted, adding that the potential deal would require government approval. Moreover, Burnete said that Lukoil's oil refinery in the city of Ploiesti in central Romania provides about 25% of the nation’s oil refining capacity, with part of the output exported to Moldova.
In October, the US and UK added Lukoil to their sanctions lists. After that, Lukoil announced that it intended to sell its international assets and that it had received an offer from the international oil trader Gunvor to acquire Lukoil International GmbH, which owns the Russian company’s foreign holdings. Gunvor then said it was withdrawing its offer to purchase Lukoil's foreign assets following a statement from the US Department of the Treasury that it would not grant Gunvor a license to conduct business or earn profit until the conflict in Ukraine was resolved.
Lukoil is implementing many international projects: the company owns two refineries in Europe (in Romania and Bulgaria), as well as a stake in one in the Netherlands. As of the end of 2024, Lukoil also operated a vast network of gas stations in 20 countries, 2,456 of which were located abroad (including in the United States and Europe). In addition, the company operates in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, the UAE, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, the Republic of Congo, and Mexico. The company also runs 320 gas stations throughout Romania.