Russia 'working on Yukos tax deal'
From Jill Dougherty
CNN Moscow Bureau Chief
 |  Supporters of Khodorkovsky outside a court in Moscow last week. |
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MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia's finance minister says he hopes a deal can be reached on a $3.4 billion tax claim against Yukos that the oil giant fears could force it into bankruptcy.
The company formerly headed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky says it does not have the cash to pay the bill since its assets have been frozen.
A Moscow court on Friday rejected an appeal by Yukos and approved a claim by tax authorities that the company pay the outstanding taxes from 2000.
But as the company's shares reeled in response to bankruptcy fears, Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly weighed in on the issue, saying the government was not interested in bankrupting a company like Yukos.
And on Monday the country's finance minister said tax officials were working on a settlement.
"As far as I know, Yukos has offered to cooperate with the Tax Ministry on settling the claims that have been made," said Alexei Kudrin, according to Russia's Interfax news agency.
"Cooperation on the possible settlement is under way."
A spokesman for Yukos Oil said no talks were taking place Monday morning.
According to Hugo Erikssen, the minister was probably referring to a letter Yukos sent to the Tax Ministry last week, offering a way to pay off the claim.
As previously reported by CNN, the letter included a proposal for debt restructuring which includes the possibility of buying out a controlling stake from its main shareholders.
Although unnamed in the letter, the offer includes Khodorkovsky, the chief shareholder in Yukos, who is currently on trial for fraud and tax evasion.
The letter also proposed offering the Russian government negotiations on the possible sale of part of its assets to state energy companies.
Many analysts believe the tax claim against Yukos and the Khodorkovsky prosecution are part of a Kremlin-inspired vendetta aimed at stripping the 40-year-old of his economic and political clout.
Although the two legal cases are technically separate, some observers believe they are both part of a Kremlin-directed effort to take over the company and eliminate Khodorkovsky's economic and political clout.
