The Russian owners of Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) have submitted a request to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) seeking an extension of the company’s operating license, based on negotiations with a third party, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović announced today.
She stated on Instagram that the request includes a proposal by the Russian side to transfer control and influence over NIS to a third party. “The state of Serbia has officially supported this request. OFAC has already provided some comments, and we hope it will issue an official position within the week. Time is running out, and a solution must be found — but citizens must not suffer or face fuel shortages. That must not and will not happen,” Đedović Handanović emphasized.
President Aleksandar Vučić said on Saturday that he expects Serbia, Russia, and an additional partner identified by the Russian side to jointly send a letter to OFAC seeking an exemption for NIS from U.S. sanctions.
“I expect that on Monday or Tuesday, together with the Russians and another party they propose, we will send a letter to OFAC and the U.S. government requesting a temporary exemption — for one, two, or three months — while we work on resolving the management issue,” Vučić said. “Whether the ownership question will also need to be addressed later remains to be seen,” he added.
