MOSCOW, October 29 (RIA Novosti) – Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday claimed reports that Rosneft oil company was preparing proposals to counter western sanctions were false.
“This is completely untrue,” Peskov said.
Earlier, Russia's largest oil company Rosneft has stated that a news article published in the Kommersant newspaper and saying that the company is allegedly preparing responsive measures against western sanctions is untrue and will take action to protect its reputation.
"Rosneft considers the given publication to be an attempt to provoke a new round of western sanctions against Russian business. The company, in the quite opposite, has never concealed its position: it has called for and is calling for the cease of transferring political sanctions onto the corporate level. Rosneft officially announces that the information contained in the Kommersant newspaper publication of some sort of initiatives by the company to enact counter sanctions is untrue," a Rosneft statement reads.
The company's press service said "it will take all the necessary action to protect the company's business reputation and the interests of its shareholders, including turning to a court of law".
Earlier on Wednesday, Kommersant newspaper published an article, which outlined a list of measures allegedly prepared by Rosneft as a response to Western sanctions imposed against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.
On the same day, Russian Presidential Aide Andrei Belousov commented on the article and said that the company's suggestion outweighs the seriousness of the current situation.