German Chancellor Friedrich Merz believes that Rosneft's subsidiaries, which are under external control of the German government, will be exempted from the new sanctions imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
“I assume that a corresponding exception will also be made for Rosneft“, Merz said at a press conference after the first day of the EU summit in Brussels, answering a question on the subject. He added that the subject would be discussed with the US side.
On September 8, the German Ministry of Economics announced that the government had extended the external management of Rosneft's German assets (Rosneft Deutschland GmbH and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH) until March 10, 2026. The ministry cited the Energy Security Act as the basis for the move. The ministry stressed that the Federal Network Agency therefore retains control over Rosneft Deutschland and the relevant shares in three refineries: PCK in Schwede, Miro in Karlsruhe and Bayernoil in Faubourg.
Earlier, the US Treasury Department included Rosneft, Lukoil and 34 subsidiaries of these companies in the new sanctions package. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the new US Treasury sanctions against Russian companies Rosneft and Lukoil will not create problems for Russia, which has developed a strong immunity to such restrictions. However, she said that they send a counterproductive signal, including with regard to the Ukrainian agreement.