OREANDA-NEWS  The Russian owners of the Serbian NIS (Gazprom Neft) have sent a request to the American Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for an extension of the company's operating license based on negotiations with a third party. This was reported by the Serbian TV channel RTS with reference to the Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic-Handanovic.

Djedovic-Khandanovic notes that the Russian side is ready to transfer influence and control over NIS to a third party.

"Serbia has officially supported this request. OFAC has already responded with certain comments, and we hope that it will present its position within a week," emphasizes Jedovic-Handanovic.

As reported, NIS, being a "subsidiary" of Gazprom Neft, was included in the American SDN List in early 2025. In this regard, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that the United States demands the complete withdrawal of Russian capital from NIS. At the same time, he recalled that the Serbian government transferred control to NIS in 2008 in favor of Gazprom Neft, and over the years the company has contributed to generating significant revenues to the Serbian budget, as well as the development of many projects.

Currently, Gazprom Neft (44.85%) and the Serbian authorities (29.87%) are the main co-owners of NIS, while another 11.3% of NIS shares belong to JSC Inteligens (managed by Gazprom Capital LLC, where Gazprom Group's financial investments are concentrated). Gazprom directly owns one NIS share, and the Serbian company also has minority shareholders.

NIS is the only company in Serbia engaged in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, it also owns a large refinery in the city of Pancevo. The company dominates the petroleum products market in its country, with a network of filling stations also present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Romania, including more than 400 stations in total.