Vučić: US to sanction Serbia’s oil company due to Russian ownership

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić has said the United States is set to slap sanctions on the country’s oil and gas company due to its Russian ownership.

Serbia’s NIS is majority-owned by the Russian energy corporation, Gazprom.

“We got confirmation that in the next few days, the US will introduce sanctions against NIS because of Russian ownership,” Vučić said in an interview with Informer TV.

He said he expected the UK and the European Union to fall in line with Washington and introduce their own sanctions.

The US Treasury Department hasn’t commented on the sanctions package and Vučić  said Belgrade still hadn’t received an “official paper with details” from America.

“Of course, this opens us up to problems with our Russian friends about everything. From politics to everything else,” Vučić said in separate comments made to the Serbian service of Doha-based broadcaster, Al Jazeera.

Serbia has repeatedly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in international forums like the United Nations but has so far resisted pressure to impose sanctions on Moscow.

Gazprom and its subsidiary Gazprom Neft own 6.15% and 50% of NIS respectively, with the remainder of the shares belonging to the government and other smaller shareholders.

“We will have to look if there is a possibility to reduce Russian ownership below 50% and to talk with Russian partners about it,” Vučić said.