Sometimes they come back. Why does Russia need US oil companies?

Alexey Gromov, Principal Director on Energy studies at the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented to the MASHNEWS Internet portal on the prospects for the return of American oil and gas and oilfield service companies to Russia.

"The Americans, due to the federal restrictions in force in their country on the exploration and production of hydrocarbons in Alaska, that is, in the Arctic zone of the United States, actually tested their exploration and production technologies in the Arctic on the Russian territory, which was beneficial to both the United States and Russia, which was gaining new technological experience," Alexey Gromov explained.

"We are not currently discussing with America the delimitation of zones of influence in the Arctic or other political issues. In fact, we are telling the United States that it is possible to return to the projects that we have successfully developed together with the Americans in the generally recognized Arctic zone of Russia. They're just mothballed now. It is enough to come there again and start working together," the Mashnews interlocutor emphasized.

Western players will no longer return to the market they left, Alexey Gromov noted.

"I don't see any serious threats that our service companies will suffer in any way with the return of the American oilfield services to Russian oil production. Russia will cooperate with the Western oilfield service only in those projects where we really do not have technological competencies," the expert explained.