BP and Rosneft $2015.$ BP $($UK$)$ and Rosneft $($Russia$)$ had severed a long$-$term joint venture in $2013,$ with Rosneft buying BP out with $$54$ billion in cash and a $20\%$ interest $($equity interest$)$ in

Rosneft itself. Rosneft financed a large part of the buyout by borrowing heavily. The following year, in July $2014,$ BP received a dividend on its ownership interest in Rosneft of RUB$25$ billion.

But Rosneft's performance had been declining, as was the Russian ruble. The winter of $2014-2015$ in Europe was a relatively mild one, and Europe's purchases of Rosneft's natural gas had fallen as

had the price of natural gas. Rosneft's total sales were down, and the ruble had clearly fallen dramatically. And to add debt to injury, Rosneft was due to make a payment of USD$19\mathrm{.}4$ billion in $2015$

on its debt from the BP buyout.

a$.$ Assuming a spot rate of RUB$34\mathrm{.}78=$ USD$1\mathrm{.}00$ in July $2014,$ how much was the dividend paid to BP in U$.$S$.$ dollars?

b$.$ If Rosneft were to pay the same dividend to BP in July $2015,$ and the spot rate at that time was RUB$75\mathrm{.}03=$USD$1\mathrm{.}00,$ what would BP receive in U$.$S$.$ dollars?

c$.$ If the combination of Western sanctions against Russia and lower global oil prices truly sent the Russian economy into recession, and the spot rate was RUB$75\mathrm{.}03=$USD$1\mathrm{.}00$ in July $2015,$ what

might BP$\text{'}$s dividend be in July $2015?$

a$.$ Assuming a spot rate of RUB$34\mathrm{.}78=$ USD$1\mathrm{.}00$ in July $2014,$ how much was the dividend paid to BP in U$.$S$.$ dollars?

The dividend paid to $BP$ is $

$($Round to the nearest cent.$)$