PARIS—TotalEnergies SE said it sold its stake in a natural-gas joint venture in Russia, after the French government said it would seek to clarify whether the project was helping to produce fuel for Russian military aircraft.
The French oil giant said it sold its 49% interest in a joint venture operating the Termokarstovoye gas field to its Russian partner PAO Novatek. It said it expects the deal to close next month. The announcement of the deal comes after TotalEnergies had spent the better part of the week defending its participation in the project.
