From Porn to Oil: Former Pornhub Boss Targets Lukoil Assets (While Trump Blocks Gunvor)
Austrian entrepreneur Bernd Bergmair , the former majority owner of Pornhub, has approached the U.S. Treasury about buying the assets of Russian oil company Lukoil after the Trump administration sanctioned the company.
"Obviously, Lukoil International GmbH would be a great investment, and anyone would be fortunate to have the privilege of owning such assets," Bergmair told Reuters. "I don't comment on potential investments as a matter of course," he added.
Last month, the U.S. Treasury gave the green light to companies to begin negotiations with Lukoil regarding its overseas operations, with U.S. oil and gas giants Exxon Mobil and Chevron having already expressed interest. Exxon is in talks with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to purchase Lukoil's 75% stake in the West Qurna 2 oil field, one of the largest in the country. The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has invited several U.S. oil companies to participate in negotiations for the acquisition of West Qurna 2 through a competitive bidding process. The West Qurna-2 oil field produces over 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The Iraqi government has assumed control of operations at West Qurna 2, including direct payment of personnel salaries.
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Lukoil had previously reached a preliminary agreement with Gunvor to acquire its international operations. However, the commodities trading giant withdrew its $22 billion offer after the U.S. Treasury Department expressed dissatisfaction with the deal, calling Gunvor a Russian "puppet."
“President Trump has made it clear that the war must end immediately. As long as Putin continues the senseless killing, the Kremlin puppet, Gunvor, will never be granted a license to operate and profit,” the U.S. Treasury said in a post on X.
Unfortunately, the latest round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine proved fruitless after the Kremlin refused to accept Trump's 19-point peace plan. Some of the new plan's key changes include a ban on the free transfer of the Donbas region to Russia, a ban on an automatic veto on Ukraine's future NATO membership, and the provision of Article 5-style protections for Ukraine, meaning the United States would be required to intervene if Russia invaded the country in the future. The proposed full amnesty for war crimes, which was part of the original plan, was also eliminated.
Ukraine has redoubled its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, including the latest attack on a shadow fleet vessel in African waters.
Questions and Answers
Who is Bernd Bergmair and why does he want Lukoil? Bernd Bergmair is an Austrian businessman known for being the majority owner of Pornhub. He approached the U.S. Treasury to purchase Lukoil's international assets, seeing them as an exceptional investment opportunity ("a privilege to own them"), taking advantage of a time when the Russian company is under pressure from sanctions and the need to divest foreign assets.
Why did the Lukoil-Gunvor deal fall through? The $22 billion deal was blocked because the U.S. Treasury Department labeled Gunvor a Russian "puppet." The Trump administration imposed a political veto, declaring that as long as the conflict continues, entities considered close to the Kremlin will not receive operating licenses to profit from Russian assets, favoring Western or U.S.-approved buyers instead.
What is the current status of the peace negotiations? The talks are stalled. The Kremlin has rejected Trump's 19-point peace plan. This new plan is very harsh for Russia: it stipulates that Donbass will not be handed over for free, opens Ukraine to NATO, and guarantees Kiev direct US military protection. The amnesty for war crimes has also been removed, leading Ukraine to intensify attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
The article From Porn to Oil: Former Pornhub Boss Targets Lukoil Assets (While Trump Blocks Gunvor) comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/dal-porno-al-petrolio-lex-patron-di-pornhub-punta-agli-asset-di-lukoil-mentre-trump-blocca-gunvor/ on Wed, 03 Dec 2025 21:54:30 +0000.