British oil giant BP is in talks with the Russian government about taking part in the privatization of Rosneft, the Russian state oil group, a government source said on Thursday.
"This issue is being seriously discussed on the level of BP, Rosneft and the government," the source told the Prime news agency.
Rosneft shares rose 3.1 percent on MICEX following the announcement.
There has not yet been any official confirmation. Rosneft will be exempt from government control by 2016, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said earlier this month.
