US Probe Into Rosneft Shares Purchase 'Quite Normal' – Kremlin

The United States’ intention to probe the deal on the sale of a 19.5 percent stake in the Russian Rosneft oil giant to Glencore and the Qatar Investment Authority is "quite normal," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

MOSCOW, December 9 (Sputnik) – On Thursday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that the US Department of the Treasury would investigate whether the sale of stock in Rosneft violated sanctions against Moscow.

"Of course, this deal is being implemented with an active legal support, strategic investors, of course, are attracting the best lawyers and the Rosneft company is providing legal defense of all economic activities including this deal. And it is quite normal that somebody will probe the deal," Peskov told reporters.

On Wednesday, Swiss commodities-trading firm Glencore announced a plan with Qatar’s Investment Authority to acquire a 19.5 percent stake in Rosneft.

President Vladimir Putin described the $11 billion deal as the biggest in energy markets this year but stressed that the Russian government would retain its controlling stake in the company.