BELGRADE, December 25. /TASS/. Hungary’s MOL and Serbia’s NIS (Naftna industrija Srbije) have requested the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to suspend sanctions against the Serbian company during negotiations on changing its ownership structure, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic-Handanovic announced at a press conference.

"NIS has contacted OFAC regarding this matter. Hungary's MOL has also done so. The Hungarian government has supported these negotiations, and we, as the Serbian government, will also support the search for a solution to lift the sanctions and create conditions for issuing operating licenses to the Naftna industrija Srbije). Let me remind you that today marks the 77th day since sanctions against NIS came into force," she said.

Djedovic-Handarovic also stressed that the Serbian government is committed to creating conditions that will allow NIS to continue operating "regardless of how long it takes to complete the transaction" between MOL and the company's Russian shareholders.

In early January 2025, the US Department of the Treasury introduced sanctions against Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft, its CEO Alexander Dyukov, and against Serbian NIS. The US has repeatedly postponed sanctions against the company since then. Restrictions came into force on October 9.

At an extraordinary government meeting on November 16, Serbia's Finance Minister called on President Aleksandar Vucic to consider nationalizing NIS due to mounting pressure and threats to the country's economy.

NIS is one of the largest vertically integrated energy systems in Southeastern Europe. Its majority shareholders are Gazprom Neft (44.85% of shares), Gazprom (11.3%), and Serbia (29.87%).

The Serbian Energy Ministry reported on November 11 that NIS's Russian owners had notified the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of their readiness to transfer control of the company to a third party.

On December 2, Vucic announced that Belgrade had not received a license from Washington to supply oil to NIS. The company later announced the shutdown of its oil refinery in the Serbian city of Pancevo due to US sanctions and a lack of raw materials.