Igor Sechin vs Michel Barnier

Sechin negotiated a strategic partnership with ExxonMobil to explore and develop oil and gas resources in the Russian Arctic, including the Kara Sea. The deal, valued at up to $500 billion, was later suspended due to Western sanctions imposed after the Ukraine crisis.

Igor Sechin was appointed President and Chairman of the Management Board of Rosneft, Russia's state-owned oil company. He transformed Rosneft into the world's largest publicly traded oil producer by output, overseeing major acquisitions and expansion, while maintaining close ties to the Kremlin.

Sechin led Rosneft's $55 billion acquisition of TNK-BP, the third-largest oil company in Russia, from BP and the AAR consortium. The deal made Rosneft the world's largest publicly traded oil producer by output and solidified Sechin's influence in the global energy sector.

Following Russia's annexation of Crimea, the United States imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Sechin personally, freezing assets and restricting access to Western capital markets. The sanctions targeted Russia's energy sector, limiting Rosneft's ability to finance projects and acquire technology.

The European Commission appointed Michel Barnier as its chief negotiator for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. He led the EU's negotiating team through the Article 50 process.

Barnier oversaw the negotiation of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, including the Northern Ireland Protocol. The agreement was ratified and the UK left the EU on January 31, 2020.

President Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier as Prime Minister following the 2024 legislative elections. Barnier, a conservative, was tasked with forming a government in a hung parliament.