Exxon Mobil announced on Monday that it has left Russia entirely after President Vladimir Putin expropriated its assets following seven months of discussions over an orderly transfer of its 30% stake in the major Sakhalin 1 oil project, Reuters reported, citing news. ro.

Exxon did not say whether it received any compensation for the assets, which it valued at more than $4 billion.

An Exxon spokesman declined to comment on whether it would continue to challenge the seizure through an international arbitration process, which was discussed in August.

Exxon’s exit illustrates the clash between the West and Russia over energy since Moscow invaded Ukraine in late February and threatened to use nuclear weapons against the country and its supporters.

BP, TotalEnergies, Equinor and Shell transferred real estate to Russian partners or left their operations.

“We have made every effort to speak with the Russian government and other stakeholders,” an Exxon spokesman said.

The company said it had “safely left” Russia after the government “unilaterally terminated” its interests in the Sakhalin 1 oil and gas project, the country’s largest, earlier this month.

Exxon has been trying to exit Sakhalin-1 operations since March 1, when it announced the sale of more than $4 billion worth of all its assets, leaving open the possibility of selling Sakhalin-1. He said he would “closely coordinate” the transfer of operations with his partners – Russia’s Rosneft, India’s ONGC Videsh and Japan’s SODECO – to ensure it is carried out safely.

In April, Exxon announced a $3.4 billion write-down of assets following its exit from Russia, and this month reported a $600 million impairment charge on undisclosed assets in the third quarter.

Exxon valued its assets in Russia at more than $4 billion.

On October 7, Putin confiscated Exxon’s shares in the oil production joint venture and transferred them to the state-controlled company.

In August, Putin signed the first executive order, which Exxon said made it more difficult to safely exit Sakhalin-1.

The American manufacturer responded to the August order by issuing a “disagreement,” a legal step before arbitration.

The harsh language of Exxon’s official exit demonstrates the desired outcome for Exxon – an exit from Russia – but on unfriendly terms that could turn into years of litigation, starting with arbitration in European courts.

Exxon has reduced its presence in Russia since 2014 following sanctions imposed on Moscow following its annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.

Earlier this year, the American company recalled its foreign workers and closed its lubricants and chemical plants in Russia.

By July, output from the Sakhalin-1 project had fallen by 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 220,000 bpd before Russia invaded Ukraine.

The volume was enough to supply natural gas to provide lighting for the Russian cities of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.

About 700 employees in Russia who continued to operate will be transferred to a new Russian company that will take over the asset, Exxon said.

“We are grateful for the professionalism, experience and dedication shown by ENL employees in these difficult circumstances,” an Exxon spokesman said.

Exxon has promised to ensure a safe transition to a new operator to avoid spills, environmental accidents or power outages in the cities served by the project.