Romania Requested the US Permission to Resume Operations at the Lukoil Petrotel Oil Refinery

This was announced by the Republic’s Minister of Energy, Bogdan-Gruia Ivan. The plant in Ploiesti, owned by Lukoil, has suspended operations due to US sanctions against the Russian company. “We have already spoken with representatives from America. We have prepared the official documents and will soon receive permission to resume operations at this oil refinery,” Bogdan-Gruia Ivan told Antena 3 television. Petrotel accounts for 21% of Romania’s crude oil refining capacity, the minister stressed. In October 2025, the US imposed sanctions on Lukoil, prompting the company to sell its foreign assets. On 29 January, Lukoil and Carlyle announced that they had reached a preliminary agreement on the sale of Lukoil International GmbH. The deal must be approved by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).