The U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, stated that he cannot confirm whether the United States will impose sanctions on Serbia’s oil industry (NIS), reports “Tanjug.”
Hill emphasized that it is not the intention to harm Serbia’s economy or its bilateral relations with the U.S.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Friday that the United States would impose sanctions “within a few days” on the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS) because Russian companies hold a majority stake in the company. “Sanctions will also be imposed by the British, but that means everyone. This is probably one of the hardest pieces of news,” Vučić said.
However, Hill clarified that he could not confirm the imposition of sanctions.
“I cannot confirm if sanctions will be imposed, but I must say that when Russia bought NIS, the refining and production capacities, there were concerns. Because at that time, Russia benefitted greatly but did not invest anything in Serbia. All the profits went abroad, specifically to Russia. This became especially concerning since the start of the war in Ukraine, as there were always concerns about how the money earned at NIS would be used, especially since the war in Ukraine began. It has become a very urgent issue,” Hill said after his meeting with Serbia’s Interior Minister.
He also stated that Russia has not helped Serbia in any way, nor has it invested or contributed to Serbia’s economy.
“In fact, all the sanctions mentioned are in no way aimed at damaging Serbia’s economy. As for the talks, we have certainly had discussions with the Serbian government and will continue to do so. It will not happen quickly, but we are talking about how to approach this issue,” Hill concluded.
