Carter Page
© AP Photo/ Pavel GolovkinCarter Page
Carter Page, an adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump's presidential campaign, told Sputnik that US and European companies are interested to "get back" to the Russian market.

"There is a high level of interest amongst US as well as European companies to get back to the Russian market. This interest cuts across a diverse array of sectors," Page told Sputnik.


Comment: Page seems to be hinting at lifting Obama's sanction regime against Russia. That would be a first good move on Trump's part: NATO and Russia: Trump's biggest test so far


He also commented on the recent Rosneft privatization deal. Page believes that efforts to punish the Russian oil giant have backfired and primarily hurt Western companies. "The hostile efforts to punish Rosneft and their senior management team through Western sanctions have primarily hurt Western companies, rather than their intended target. This week's innovative transaction underscores these constraints, as many other potential strategic investment partners were excluded," Page said.

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. 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.