Mr. Putin expressed hope for a successful cooperation between ConocoPhillips and Russia’s largest oil and gas companies. “I would like it very much that relations between Russian and American businesses develop more effectively, especially in such a strategically important area as energy,” he stressed.

Denis Sanartsev, a trader with Aton Capital, told RBC that the situation had changed for the better after a drop in prices on Thursday. On the RTS, YUKOS stocks rose 11.88 percent as of 11:05 on Friday. LUKoil was up 4.25 percent, and Norilsk Nickel was up 2.46 percent.

On the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange, YUKOS stocks rose 6.2 percent, LUKoil was up 2.5 percent, and Norilsk Nickel added 1.8 percent. Other blue chips rose 1.-1.5 percent.

Igor Rubin, a trader with Metropol, said Mr. Putin’s message was a good sign for the market. According to him, this statement gives hope that the government’s stake in LUKoil will be sold at a fair price. In Mr. Rubin’s opinion, the situation around YUKOS remains highly volatile. Traders say the RTS index could rise by another 2-3 percent on Friday. On Thursday, it dropped 3.81 percent to 553.79.