Irving, Texas-headquartered Exxon Mobil said it could not comment on a Wall Street Journal report that the company is seeking to be exempted from US sanctions on Russia so that it can drill in the Black Sea, according to Reuters.
The supermajor has previously teamed up on projects with Russian giant Rosneft.
A spokesman for Exxon said the company would not comment on talks in progress with regulators.
The US imposed sanctions on Russia following that country’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its perceived role in armed hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Exxon’s former chief executive is Rex Tillerson, the new US Secretary of State, who said he has cut ties with the company on taking his government post.