Headlines
Serbia supports talks with Hungary's Mol over sale of sanctioned NIS oil firm
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Serbia supports selling NIS oil firm to Hungary's MOL amid sanctions, with a U.S. deadline for negotiations.
BELGRADE, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Serbia supports talks over the sale of a majority stake in the country's sanctioned NIS oil company currently taking place between its Russian owners and Hungary's MOL, the Tanjug news agency reported on Thursday, citing Serbia's energy minister.
"The Hungarian government supported those talks, and we, as the government ... will also provide support to find a solution for the removal of sanctions," Tanjug quoted Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic as saying.
Russia's Gazprom has an 11.3% stake in NIS, while its sanctioned oil unit Gazprom Neft holds 44.9%. The Serbian government has 29.9%, with the remainder held by small shareholders and employees.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday that MOL was in talks with the Russian shareholders over the possible stake sale.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control granted NIS until March 24 to negotiate the sale of its Russian owner's stake, but did not approve an operating licence that would allow it to buy and process crude oil.
The OFAC imposed sanctions on NIS in October, as part of broader measures against Russia's energy sector, following a series of waivers granted since January.
The sanctions have halted crude supplies via Croatia's JANAF pipeline, shutting down production at the NIS refinery in the Serbian town of Pancevo, the only such facility in the Balkan country.
(Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Kirsten Donovan )
NIS stands for Naftna Industrija Srbije, which is Serbia's oil company. It is partially owned by Russian entities and has faced sanctions affecting its operations.
Gazprom is a state-owned gas company in Russia, known for being one of the largest producers of natural gas in the world.
MOL is a Hungarian multinational oil and gas company that is involved in the exploration, production, and distribution of oil and gas products.
An operating license is a legal authorization required for a company to conduct specific business activities, such as buying and processing crude oil.
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