Italian authorities have doubted the advisability of an agreement to sell an oil refinery on the island of Sicily, owned by the Russian company Lukoil. It is reported by the Financial Times.
According to the publication, Washington is not happy with the upcoming deal. The United States is wary of the buyer of the company – the Cypriot company GOI Energy. The Americans suggest it might be linked to Russia.
As the Financial Times explains, the Lukoil refinery is the largest in Western Europe. This company supplies a fifth of Italy’s capacity. After the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions, Italy refused to nationalize the company, but put its managers there, whose powers include blocking any transactions.
Despite this, the Russian company managed to find a buyer willing to pay $1.5 billion. But the conclusion of the operation is always postponed under the pretext of evaluating the risks of the sale of a strategic installation.
It should be noted that neither Rome nor Washington would like to comment on the current situation. As experts from the Sovereign Economy telegram channel explain, the asset, strategic for the Italian economy, will be treated as it sees fit by the White House.
According to experts, the situation with the delay in the sale of the plant is another confirmation of the lack of independence of European countries in making strategic decisions.
