Oil company Lukoil was one of the first major Russian companies to call for an immediate end to the fighting in Ukraine.

The board "expresses its concern at the ongoing tragic events in Ukraine and its deepest sympathy for all those affected by this tragedy," the company said on Thursday.

"We are committed to the immediate end to the armed conflict and fully support its resolution through the negotiation process and through diplomatic means," it said.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.

Lukoil is not a state-owned company

Lukoil stressed that it will continue its efforts "to provide consumers around the world with reliable energy" and that it is "committed to strengthening peace, international relations and humanitarian relations".

Unlike other important Russian energy companies such as Rosneft and Gazprom, Lukoil is not a state-owned company.

Prominent Russian businessmen outside the country have expressed concern about the economic impact of the invasion, but Lukoil's statement is among the first such statements by a major domestic company.

Because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the West has imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow, which, among other things, caused the Russian ruble to plummet.