The U.S. has extended the license for the Serbian oil company NIS
The validity of the temporary license allowing the sanctioned Serbian oil company NIS to operate in the United States has been extended until mid-June.
This was announced by Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Jedović Handanović, according to Euractiv.
According to the minister, Washington’s decision will allow Serbia to continue importing oil and avoid shutting down its only oil refinery amid sanctions pressure on Russian energy resources.
“We have received good news from the U.S. The operating license issued to NIS has been extended for 60 days, which is very important for more stable planning of crude oil purchases,” she said.
Negotiations regarding the potential sale of the controlling stake in NIS, owned by Russian entities, to the Hungarian company MOL have been ongoing for several months. The U.S. had previously set a deadline of May 22 for finalizing the agreements.
However, the deal has not yet been finalized, although Serbian officials do not expect any changes due to the political situation in Hungary.
NIS—Serbia’s largest oil company—has been subject to U.S. sanctions since early October due to its significant share of Russian capital.
Currently, 45% of the company’s shares are owned by Gazprom Neft, which is subject to U.S. sanctions, while another 11.3% is controlled by a Gazprom entity. About 30% of the shares belong to the Serbian state, with the remainder held by minority shareholders.
