Once again, Serbia finds itself scrambling under the weight of its own strategic failures. The British news agency Reuters reports that the Serbian government has been granted a three-month window by the United States to find a buyer for NIS, the country’s only oil refinery, which is majority-owned by Russian companies Gazprom and Gazpromneft. This is not a postponement of sanctions it is a blunt warning that Serbia cannot continue business as usual.
NIS is now under U.S. sanctions, and the previous temporary exemptions have expired. Banks have begun suspending payments, placing the Serbian energy sector and citizens’ winter fuel supply in jeopardy. The solution? The Russians themselves have proposed transferring control to a third party. Yet, the Serbian government has been unable to act decisively, exposing the country’s reliance on foreign powers and the political elite’s chronic indecision.
Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović-Handanović made it clear that the U.S. demands a complete removal of Russian ownership from NIS. She described it as a “difficult message” and underlined that Serbia has not been granted even a single day to continue operations under the current structure. This blunt reality contrasts sharply with the empty reassurances of President Aleksandar Vučić, who previously claimed there was no risk to fuel supplies.
The government has scheduled an emergency session tomorrow with directors of all public companies and Vučić himself in attendance, but the question remains: how long will Serbia continue to gamble with its energy independence and the welfare of its citizens? The NIS crisis exposes a pattern of strategic mismanagement and political theater, leaving the country at the mercy of external powers while top officials scramble to contain the fallout.
This is not just a business problem; it is a geopolitical failure. Serbia’s energy sector, long dominated by Russian influence, is now a ticking time bomb, and its political leadership appears paralyzed in the face of mounting international pressure.
