After Putin went to war with Ukraine and the West began sanctions against Russia, we were told British Petroleum (BP) would divest from Rosneft, a leading Russian oil company. And BP is not just any oil company. It is 46% owned by the British Government. So its actions do not reflect purely private sector responses to political events, they also reflect Whitehall policy.

Why is it therefore that the Russian business newspaper has a column entitled “BP is in no hurry to walk out of Rosneft projects”?

Vedomosti reports: “According to our source close to one of the investors in Rosneft, BP up to now has initiated no procedural measures to exist from Rosneft capital, nor from the body of investors…’BP remains an investor in Rosneft and continues to co-operate with its Russian partners within the format of the investment agreement’, he emphasised.”

So, if this information is correct, are we to conclude that the obliteration of Ukraine means nothing to the directors of BP, chaired by Norwegian Helge Lund, and that Putin can draw the obvious conclusions about Britain’s attitude to the conflict?

Vedomosti:

20 часов назад / БизнесЭксклюзивно по подписке

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