Rosneft, Exxon execs meet in Russia, deal seen

MOSCOW/SOCHI, Russia Aug 30 (Reuters) - Executives from Russian oil major Rosneft and U.S. Exxon gathered on Tuesday at the resort town where Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was staying, ahead of what was expected to be a significant announcement, industry and diplomatic sources said.

State-controlled Rosneft gave no details, but a Reuters reporter saw top Rosneft and Exxon officials gathering in the Black Sea Port of Sochi, where Putin was staying.

High-level meetings with Putin typically precede major energy deals in Russia.

One Moscow-based diplomat said it was possible that U.S. Exxon would announce a deal "on a similar scale" to a pact between Rosneft and Britain's BP to search for oil in the Arctic that collapsed in May.

The Moscow offices of Rosneft and Exxon had no official comment.

Rosneft shares gained 2.8 percent in Moscow to 226.90 roubles at 1320 GMT, while the MICEX index was down 0.1 percent. (Reporting by Douglas Busvine and Darya Korsunskaya; editing by Vladimir Soldatkin)