The Chief Executives of Total S.A. (TOT) and Novatek (NVATY) will meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to seek his approval for a landmark gas exploration deal in Russia, the Financial Times reported on its Web site, citing a spokesman for Putin.
The talks will center around "Total's activities in the Russian market," the spokesman said, but he wouldn't speculate on the possibility of a deal between the French energy group and Russia's second biggest gas producer, the newspaper reported.
It said the companies are close to finalizing plans to jointly explore a large Arctic gas field controlled by Novatek.