Gazprom trading unit says it won’t return to Russian control

Bloomberg

A group of Gazprom PJSC companies temporarily under the control of the German government will not return to the ownership of the Russian gas giant, according to the group’s trading unit.
Gazprom views the separation as permanent and has already asked the companies to stop using its branding
and trademarks, London-based Gazprom Marketing & Trading said in an email to employees seen by Bloomberg News. The companies still need to resolve the ownership structure and intend to keep talking to the German and UK governments about it, according to the email.
The German energy regulator seized control of Gazprom Germania GmbH — which owns energy supplier Wingas GmbH and a gas storage firm — to ensure security of supply. The company’s subsidiaries also include the trading arm in London, a UK retail supplier and businesses from Switzerland to Singapore.
“We do not envisage any scenario whereby we will return to being subsidiaries of Gazprom,” Wolfgang Skribot, chief executive officer of the London-based trading unit, said. “In the longer-term, we do still need to resolve the issue of our ownership and this is a topic that we will continue to talk to the UK and German governments about.”
Gazprom subsidiaries in Europe had come under pressure as clients and business partners refused to do business with them in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That had raised the prospect some wouldn’t survive. Gazprom said earlier this month that it no longer owned its German unit and all its subsidiaries.