Vladimir Potanin, co-owner of Norilsk Nickel, attends an agreement signing ceremony with the Krasnoyarsk region's government, in Moscow, Russia December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin, is ready to discuss a possible merger of the mining giant with aluminium producer Rusal amid Western sanctions, he said in an interview with RBC TV.
The need to diversify its shareholder structure to resist sanctions, the potential need for state support for projects in Russia and the global green agenda are among the reasons to discuss the merger, Potanin told RBC TV.The proposal came from the management of Rusal, he added."I sent a letter today confirming our agreement to start the process of discussing the merger with Rusal," Potanin said. RBC added that the interview was done on Monday.