BP’s Rosneft Alliance Tested by U.K. Tough Talk on Russia

Reuters

BP quits Russia in up to $25 billion hit after Ukraine invasion

BP is abandoning its stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft in an abrupt and costly end to three decades of operating in the energy-rich country, marking the most significant move yet by a Western company in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Rosneft accounts for around half of BP’s oil and gas reserves and a third of its production and divesting the 19.75% stake will result in charges of up to $25 billion, the British company said, without saying how it plans to extricate itself. The rapid retreat represents a dramatic exit for BP, the biggest foreign investor in Russia, and puts the spotlight on other Western companies with operations in the country including France’s TotalEnergies and Britain’s Shell, amid an escalating crisis between the West and Moscow.