BP chief Tony Hayward takes tough line against Russian partners
BP threw down the gauntlet to its Russian partners yesterday, saying that the group would not be forced out of its troubled joint venture.
We intend to hold our ground and we are not going to be intimidated, Tony Hayward, the chief executive of BP said in an interview with The Times.
But despite the rhetoric, Robert Dudley, TNK-BPs American chief executive, remains in hiding outside Russia as speculation grows that his abrupt departure was triggered by fears of imminent arrest. Mr Hayward said that he had been forced to leave because of a refusal by the Russian authorities to grant him a visa and investigations by state security agents.