OFAC Extends NIS License Until August 28, Vučić Announces Talks with Putin and Magyar
Croatia's JANAF Files Request for Oil Supply to NIS, While Decision on MOL's Acquisition of Russian Ownership in the Company Is Pending.
Croatia's JANAF Files Request for Oil Supply to NIS, While Decision on MOL's Acquisition of Russian Ownership in the Company Is Pending.
The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has extended the operating license for Serbia's Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) until August 28, 2026, Klix.ba reported on Friday. The previous license expired on July 31, and the company had earlier requested a new extension to continue processing crude oil.
With OFAC's decision, NIS can continue its operations, but responses to two other key requests are still pending. One concerns Hungarian oil company MOL, which is seeking approval to negotiate with Russia's Gazprom Neft over the sale of the Russian majority stake in NIS. The other request was submitted by Croatia's JANAF, which is seeking permission to supply oil to NIS.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that he expects the agreement between MOL and Gazprom Neft on the acquisition of the Russian ownership stake in NIS to be finalized in the coming days. "In the coming days, we expect the finalization of the agreement. I will probably also talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar. I hope we will wrap this up," Vučić told Klix.ba.
The involvement of JANAF, a Croatian oil company, in the process of supplying oil to NIS adds a special dimension to this story for Croatian readers. OFAC's decision on that request could directly impact regional energy relations and supply security.