“Currently, three companies have expressed their interest in acquiring Lukoil’s assets in Romania, both the refinery and the fuel station network. There are direct negotiations with Lukoil, and we have also been notified. We are in contact with them, and the transaction between the two private companies is expected to be finalized soon. Obviously, our interest is for this deal to be completed as quickly as possible,” Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan said today during discussions with the press.

“In the meantime, under current legislation, Romania has not requested an extension of these deadlines, because it is a very clear and political decision whether we apply U.S. sanctions and agree with them or not. Romania, unlike other neighboring states, is not dependent on hydrocarbon production or imports from the Russian Federation or Lukoil.

Our position is very clear and very firm. At this moment, we are waiting for the sanctions to be applied, after which the company must immediately find a buyer and close the transaction so as not to disrupt economic activity.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for implementing these types of sanctions, together with other relevant ministries, is working on establishing a legal framework that will allow oversight of the respective assets and economic activities.”

The Energy Minister also explained that “a very serious discussion regarding fuel prices is needed within the governing coalition.”

“We are working on updating the legislation concerning market mechanisms so that we can bring improvements and reduce dependence on energy imports — the 1,500–2,000 MW we import daily. We need massive investments in energy storage projects, and we have already allocated nearly 500 million euros from European funding,” Minister Bogdan Ivan said.