The UAE company International Holding Company has shown interest in the assets of the Russian company "Lukoil", which, along with "Rosneft", has been sanctioned by the US. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
The company stated that it had expressed interest in acquiring Lukoil's assets and had informed the US Treasury Department. International Holding Company is headed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother of the UAE President, who also heads two sovereign wealth funds of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
At the same time, the number of potential bidders increased after the US Treasury Department gave companies permission on Friday to begin negotiations with Lukoil. The permit is valid until December 13, the publication says.
Context
On October 22, the United States Department of the Treasury officially imposed sanctions against leading Russian oil companies "Rosneft", "Lukoil" and their subsidiaries. The US called on Moscow to "immediately" agree to end the war against Ukraine.
In response, Vladimir Putin stated that the new US sanctions are serious, but will not affect the Russian economy. He called them an attempt to pressure and an unfriendly act that does not strengthen Russian-American relations.
Later, Donald Trump reacted to Vladimir Putin's statement about Russia's alleged invulnerability to American sanctions. The US President ironically noted that he was glad to hear about the dictator's "confidence", but preferred to see how Russia would cope with the restrictions.