BUDAPEST, November 5. /TASS/. Hungarian oil and gas company MOL announced that it has received an additional license from the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to conduct preparatory operations for the acquisition of a Russian stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS).

"The license authorizes certain transactions necessary for the transfer to MOL Serbia Investment Kft. of Russian-issued securities and related activities, including obtaining certain required Russian governmental approvals. The license is valid until February 28, 2027," MOL Group said in a statement. The company remains in talks to purchase shares in the Serbian company held by Gazprom Neft.

The statement clarified that this license "does not authorize the completion of the transaction resulting in the divestment of Russian ownership and control in NIS."

"Any such completion would require separate authorization from OFAC." MOL Group noted.

The owners of NIS are being forced to sell their assets after falling under US sanctions. In January 2025, the US Department of the Treasury placed the Serbian company on its sanctions list alongside its majority shareholder, Gazprom Neft. Following several deferrals, the restrictions took effect on October 9. On November 11, Serbia’s Ministry of Energy announced that the Russian owners of NIS had notified the United States of their readiness to transfer control of the company to a third party.

On January 19, 2026, Gazprom and MOL announced the signing of a memorandum of intent regarding the sale of a stake in NIS. Serbian authorities have also announced plans to increase their own stake in the company from 30% to 35%, which will allow them to exert influence over certain shareholder decisions. MOL had previously noted on several occasions that negotiations were progressing well and that it expected to finalize the transaction documentation soon. For its part, the Serbian side has confirmed that all issues have been coordinated with them.