Germany asks the US to grant an exception to sanctions for Rosneft subsidiaries«

Berlin fears that new US restrictions will affect the work of energy companies in the country

German authorities hope to get exemption from new US sanctions, that may affect the subsidiaries of the Russian state corporation «Rosneft», reports DW.

We are talking about companies Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing, which since 2022 are actually under the German government department. They are responsible for approximately 12% of the country's total oil refining and has stakes in three key German refineries in Schwedt, Karlsruhe and Munich.

Berlin's position

The German Chancellor's Office and the German Ministry of Economy are negotiating with the United States to avoid side effects of sanctions, The company's strategic business is not yet fully operational.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed concern that the new restrictions threaten Germany's energy security, The company will be able to continue to operate in the US if US sanctions are extended to government-controlled companies.

Context.

Following the outbreak of a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, the German government Took Rosneft's assets under temporary management«, to guarantee the stability of energy supply.

Berlin is now seeking legal and diplomatic mechanisms to ensure that continuous operation of oil refineries, without violating the West's sanctions policy.