The
deal,
between
the
world's
largest
listed
oil
firm
and
the
world's
top
oil
producing
nation,
was
the
product
of
nearly
a
year
of
talks
and
came
about
despite
a
history
of
mutual
distrust
between
Washington
and
Moscow
dating
back
to
the
Cold
War
and
recent
difficulties
for
other
Western
firms
in
Russia.
"Experts
say
that
this
project,
in
terms
of
its
ambitions,
exceeds
sending
man
into
outer
space
or
flying
to
the
moon,"
Russian
Deputy
Prime
Minister
Igor
Sechin,
a
key
architect
of
the
partnership,
told
a
briefing
for
analysts
in
New
York,
according
to
a
Reuters
report.
Under…
