In mid-2007, Gazprom initiated discussions with BP about a possible alliance. Gazprom’s goal of becoming a global oil and gas company was being stymied by opposition from Western governments. Gazprom was interested in stakes in BP assets outside Russia. In return, Gazprom would contribute large stakes in its Russian oil business. A key element of the alliance would involve Gazprom buying AAR’s TNK-BP stake, which would then allow BP and Gazprom to combine their various Russian oil assets and create the largest Russian oil producer.16 Gazprom officials told BP privately that they believed AAR would sell. AAR said publicly that they had no intention of selling. BP’s country manager for Russia, James Dupree, handled most of the discussions with Gazprom. BP CEO Tony Hayward made several trips to Russia to meet with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller. Based on the many meetings that were held, BP was confident that a deal would happen, and that the TNK-BP partner issues would be resolved