US extends deadline for buyers of Lukoil's global assets to June 27

The United States on Thursday extended by one month to ​June 27 a license allowing companies ‌to hold talks with Russia's second-largest oil producer Lukoil on buying its foreign assets, ​the US Treasury Department said, Report informs via Reuters.

The US ​has now extended the deadline about six ⁠times since imposing sanctions last October ​on Lukoil and state-owned Rosneft for ​the role their revenues play in supporting the more than four-year war in Ukraine.

The sanctions ​forced the sale of Lukoil"s international ​portfolio, valued at about $22 billion, including oilfields, refineries and gas ‌stations ⁠from Iraq to Finland. The process has attracted interest from more than a dozen bidders, ranging from US oil ​major ExxonMobil ​to the ⁠former owner of Pornhub.

Any deal must ensure that Lukoil ​receives no upfront payment, with ​all ⁠proceeds placed in a frozen account under US jurisdiction. Transactions also require final approval ⁠from ​the Treasury Department's Office ​of Foreign Assets Control.