Russia's deputy PM Arkady Dvorkovich casts doubt on Rosneft-BP deal He also questioned whether Rosneft would be able to afford the stake, saying: "You don't find $30bn lying around on the street. This means we have to see how the money would be raised, how quickly it is returned in the form of TNK-BP dividends, how it would affect Rosneft's financial situation, and whether it would bring other projects to a halt. Mr Dvorkovich has repeatedly clashed with Mr Sechin over issues including privatisation. While Mr Dvorkovich is seen as a relative liberal, Mr Sechin - who has previously held the political brief for energy - is seeking to expand state control. In a statement in July, when Rosneft announced its interest in TNK-BP, Mr Sechin said: "At this time of consolidation in the global oil and gas industry, Rosneft is continually evaluating growth opportunities and future partnerships." Both Mr Dvorkovich and Mr Sechin are powerful and their open dispute - which will ultimately be mediated by President Vladimir Putin - may complicate any Rosneft-BP deal. BP is also obliged by the TNK-BP shareholder agreement to hold "good faith" negotiations with its oligarch partners in the venture, the AAR consortium, for 90 days, meaning it could not conclude any deal with Rosneft until mid-October. But AAR has expressed an interest in buying only half of BP's stake, an option thought unpalatable to BP. Last week, Mr Sechin appeared to suggest that stipulations in the shareholder agreement had forced Rosneft to "take a break" from talks, but he has since said that negotiations remain ongoing. A BP spokesman said talks were ongoing with interested parties including Rosneft. Separately, BP announced a $240m deal to sell its 18.36pc stake in the Draugen field in the Norwegian Sea to the field's operator, Royal Dutch Shell. The deal takes BP's divestments to $33bn out of $38bn it is targeting to pay for the costs of the Gulf of Mexico disaster.