The steadfast US stance on sanctions against Serbia’s sole refiner, NIS AD, has left Belgrade facing a stark choice: seize the company from Russia, or risk running out of crude, said Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic-Handanovic.
“Difficult decisions lie ahead — whether we should take over the company” and compensate the Russian owners, the minister said on Saturday, after revealing that Washington had rejected a requestBloomberg Terminal to temporarily ease sanctions affecting NIS, which is controlled by subsidiaries of Russia’s Gazprom PJSC.