In Washington, Moldova welcomes Carlyle Group’s takeover of Lukoil assets
The Government of the Republic of Moldova welcomes the Carlyle Group's intention to acquire the assets of Lukoil International GmbH (LIG) through a specialized oil company. This position was reaffirmed by the Minister of Energy, Dorin Junghietu, during a meeting with a representative of Carlyle Group Inc. in Washington.
The fund manages assets worth over 400 billion US dollars globally, including oil and gas assets in Europe. Discussions with a fund representative focused on the transaction to acquire Lukoil's assets and on plans for their further development.
“The Government of the Republic of Moldova is closely monitoring the approval process of the transaction by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Treasury,” stated a press release from the Ministry of Energy.
It is important to recall that both Lukoil and Russia’s largest oil producer, Rosneft, were sanctioned by the US in October 2025 due to what Washington termed “the slow progress of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.”
At the end of January 2026, Lukoil announced in a statement that it had reached an agreement with the Carlyle Group to sell Lukoil International GmbH, the unit that manages the company's foreign assets, estimated at around $22 billion.
These assets include operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and Mexico, ranging from a majority stake in the West Qurna 2 oil field in Iraq to refineries in Bulgaria and Romania.
Additionally, Lukoil's fuel stations in the Republic of Moldova are also set to be taken over by the American investment fund.
Furthermore, Lukoil-Moldova has transferred its assets at the "Eugen Doga" Chisinau International Airport back to the state, as evidenced by documents signed on January 29, 2026.
This handover was based on a decision by the Council for the Examination of Investments of Importance for State Security (CEIISS) on December 15, 2025, which prohibited Lukoil's activities in areas deemed to be of strategic importance for state security and ordered a reversal to the situation prior to the 2005 privatization of the oil complex at the airport.
Before returning the airport's oil infrastructure to the state, Lukoil paid a fine of 5 million lei, imposed by CEIISS on January 16, 2026, for failing to complete the transfer by the January 9 deadline.
In related news, the Minister of Energy, Dorin Junghietu, is making a working visit to the United States from February 23 to 25, marking his second visit this year. He will participate in the Transatlantic Gas Security Summit on February 24, where Ditte Juul Jørgensen, the Director-General for Energy at the European Commission, has also confirmed her attendance.
