The puzzling Glencore-Qatari-Rosneft deal
The sale of a stake in Russia's largest oil producer might not be as significant as many thought
On the surface, the €10.2bn ($10.8bn) sale of a 19.5% stake in Rosneft, to Glencore and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), looks good business all around. The Russian treasury gets some much-needed cash; Qatar diversifies into Russian oil; and Glencore will buy another 220,000 barrels a day of Rosneft's crude for the next five years. Glencore chief executive Ivan Glasenberg said the deal showed the "strong relationships that already exist between Rosneft, QIA and Glencore". Western sanctions have sought to prevent such relationships - and investments - and hurt Russian firms. This deal showed Russia's resilience to the financial embargo. Announced on 10 December, it valued Rosneft at €52b
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
