FILE PHOTO: BP's Chief Executive Bob Dudley speaks to the media after year-end results were announced at the energy company's headquarters in London, Britain, February 1, 2011. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - BP BP.L has a "very strong" partnership with Russian oil giant Rosneft ROSN.MM but will steer away from politics, Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said on Tuesday, as Moscow could face new western sanctions.

BP has a 19.75 percent stake and a board seat in the state-owned oil and gas company.

“We have a very strong partnership with Rosneft, we have had for years, but we stay out of politics,” Dudley told the AIPN International Petroleum Summit in London.

Russia could face new sanctions as western governments weigh action against Moscow over its “efforts to destabilize nations.”

The Group of Seven leading industrialized nations last week condemned what it said was a Russian nerve agent attack in Britain. Russia denies any involvement in the attack.