The United States has imposed secondary sanctions on Serbia's oil company NIS due to its Russian ties with "Gazprom." Washington has given Belgrade a razor-thin 45-day timeline to pull Russian capital out of NIS or face the full brunt of the sanctions. This development was confirmed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Currently, "Gazprom Neft" and "Gazprom"—entities flagged on the U.S. sanctions list—hold a controlling 56.15% stake in NIS, with Serbia owning 29.87%. President Vučić made it clear that the U.S. demands a complete severing of ties with Russian capital within the company, rather than just a reduction. "We have just 45 days to finalize these transactions, after which sanctions will be fully enforced," the Serbian head stated, emphasizing the urgent need for a restructuring of the company's ownership.

While Belgrade has previously shown readiness to purchase the Russian stake, valued at €700 million, Vučić is now hastening talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the matter.

He described the American sanctions as "severe" and expressed intentions to approach the future administration of Donald Trump for reconsideration or to seek "mitigating circumstances."

Responding to journalists' inquiries, the U.S. State Department reiterated that there can be "no normal business" with Russia. Washington remains committed to curbing any revenue streams that the Kremlin could use for its war efforts against Ukraine. Although Serbia had previously leveraged an advantageous agreement with Russia, its officials now lament that the new restrictive measures could deal a "significant blow" to the nation's economy, according to Euronews.

U.S. officials warned Serbian authorities in mid-December about the possibility of sanctions against NIS due to its Russian financial ties. Belgrade also anticipated similar moves from the UK and the EU.

  Serbia, Vucic, USA

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