US Yet To Announce Intentions On Rosneft Sanctions After Venezuela Sale - State Department

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2020) The US State Department has refused to reveal its intentions regarding sanctions placed on the Rosneft company after the Russsian oil giant announced the sale of its assets in Venezuela on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Rosneft announced the cessation of its operations in the South American country, after selling its Venezuelan assets to a Russian state-owned company. Rosneft received 9.6 percent of its own shares as a result of the transaction.

When asked by a Sputnik correspondent to comment on how this would impact US sanctions placed on the Russian oil giant, a State Department representative said that Washington is constantly analyzing all activities related to sanctions imposed on the South American country.

The representative added that the State Department at this moment would not announce its actions with regards to reviewing sanctions placed on the Russian oil giant in light of the sale.

The US slapped sanctions a subsidiary of Rosneft in February, citing cooperation with Venezuela. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the sanctions reflected Washington's desire to secure an advantage for US companies.