Ryabkov also said that Russia was in contact with the US on various issues, and that dialogue continued.

“I can mention Sakhalin-1 as the most obvious example of the work that has begun in this area,” he was quoted as saying by RIA.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed last month a decree that could allow foreign investors, including top US oil major Exxon Mobil to regain shares in the Sakhalin 1 oil and gas project.

The signing of the decree came on the day Putin met Donald Trump in Alaska for a summit where opportunities for investment and business collaboration were on the agenda, alongside talks to find peace in Ukraine.

Exxon previously held a 30% operator share in the lucrative project, and is the only non-Russian investor to have quit its stake. The US major took an impairment charge of US$4.6 billion to exit its Russian business after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.