Russian President Dmitry Medvedev rapped Premier Vladimir Putin's top deal maker on Wednesday for lapses that contributed to the collapse of a major oil deal between Rosneft (ROSN.MM) and BP (BP.L). The $16 billion share swap and Arctic exploration pact, masterminded by Putin's deputy Igor Sechin, fell apart on Monday when BP and Rosneft failed to agree on a $32 billion takeover of the partners in BP's Russian venture TNK-BP (TNBP.MM). The four tycoons -- Mikhail Fridman, German Khan, Viktor Vekselberg and Len Blavatnik -- had blocked the deal in court, arguing it violated exclusivity terms in the shareholder agreement governing their 50-50 joint venture, TNK-BP (TNBP.MM). Medvedev, speaking at a major set-piece news conference, appeared to agree.
Source