"What is the Russian Order of Friendship, and why does Rex Tillerson have one?

So although there may be plenty of valid concerns about the Russian entanglements of Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of ExxonMobil, who has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next secretary of state, his 2013 Order of Friendship award, based on its own merits, isn't necessarily one of them.

[Trump picks ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state]

Tillerson won the award after signing deals with the state-owned Russian oil company Rosneft, whose chief, Igor Sechin, is seen as Putin's loyal lieutenant. The partnership had begun a drilling program in the Arctic’s Kara Sea, where Exxon made a find, and had agreed to explore shale oil areas of West Siberia and the deep waters of the Black Sea. But then U.S. sanctions against Russia over the annexation of Crimea kicked in, and the partnership was put on hold."

ExxonMobil spent $650 million to drill an exploratory well in the Kara Sea and had gotten just a measly sample of oil, said Mikhail Krutikhin, co-owner of RusEnergy, an independent oil and gas consultancy. (The head of the Italian oil major Eni also won a 2013 Order of Friendship.)

- David Filipov

https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/david-filipov/?utm_term=.4513c7b0fee2

#resist #impeach #8645