"There will be no crisis, we have enough oil reserves, and the paper from the USA Fr sanctions NISwill arrive on Friday or Monday, January 10 or 13," said the Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić in the morning program of Radio-television of Serbia on Sunday, January 5, in his fourth television appearance since the beginning of the year.
This time, Vučić repeated that there will be no shortage of oil and that Serbia has diesel and gasoline in reserve for 85 days.
A day earlier, the President of Serbia said that the US Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment Jose Fernandez confirmed to him that the country will introduce direct sanctions against NIS.
"For us, there are only two, so to speak, unknowns." One is whether it refers to the complete Russian ownership or only to the majority package of shares. And the second is deadlines. I asked for the longest possible deadlines. We will see how it will look," said Vučić.
According to him, Serbia has the money to buy the Russian part of NIS.
"We must not wait for March 16, without a solution and without oil coming to us through the Janaf gas pipeline." We will not spend the reserves, we will keep the reserves," said Vučić, reports FoNet.
"It has nothing to do with Russia's war effort"
According to him, Serbia imports crude oil, which is mostly processed in the refinery in Pancevo.
"We import it through the Adriatic pipeline, through Omišalj, through Croatia." And now that the sanctions are coming, that will probably not be possible anymore. Although I also spoke with (Croatian Prime Minister Andrej) Plenković and we have a valid contract. "Just to inform people, there won't be any shortages," said Vučić.
He added that he does not think that with this measure the Americans want to punish Serbia, but to turn it to their side. In addition, Vučić assessed that the upcoming sanctions on the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS) "have little to do with Russia's war efforts or with any money."
Vučić expects that with the arrival of Donald Trump and the new administration in the USA, many measures will be abolished.
"I think a lot of things will be abolished, I'm not talking about this measure, I would like it to be possible, but we will talk," said the President of Serbia.
Vučić added that he did not speak with the new US finance minister, but that he knows the people around him well. The President of Serbia said that he will try to get in touch with him, writes N1.
Hill: There is no announcement about the introduction of sanctions
The issue of sanctions against NIS was opened at the end of 2024, precisely by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.
However, official confirmation of any sanctions from the American side has still not arrived.
Ambassador of the United States of America Christopher Hill said at the end of December that there is no announcement that sanctions will be introduced against NIS, but that there is some US concern because it is the only refinery in Serbia that is majority-owned by Russia.
According to the American ambassador, the final decision on NIS will not affect the Serbian economy in any way.
"The Serbian economy is growing and we are interested in it continuing," Hill told RTS.
Sources: RTS/FoNet/N1
