Russia Weighs Plan to Merge Biggest Oil Companies, WSJ Reports

Russian officials and business executives have held talks about merging the country’s biggest oil companies into a single producer, the Wall Street Journalreported.

Under one potential plan, state-backed Rosneft PJSC would take over Gazprom Neft and Lukoil PJSC, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people familiar with the discussions. The talks, which have taken place over the past few months, aren’t guaranteed to result in a deal, and plans could change, the people said.

Lukoil and Gazprom Neft did not immediately respond to emails sent outside of regular business hours. Rosneft’s press service doesn’t accept requests over the ...