Serbia claims US plans to sanction Russian-backed energy fir Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Dec. 13 that the United States is planning to impose sanctions in the coming days on the country’s sole gas supplier, citing its Russian ownership.
The Petroleum Industry of Serbia (known by its local acronym NIS), primarily owned by Russia’s Gazprom Neft and its parent company Gazprom, is Serbia’s exclusive gas supplier and controls the main pipelines delivering gas from Russia to Serbian households and industries.
"The British are also joining the sanctions, which then means everyone. This is probably one of the hardest pieces of news," Vucic said during an interview on a government-linked private television station, according to AFP.
Neither the United States nor the United Kingdom has commented on the reported sanctions. Serbia, an EU candidate country, has maintained close ties with Moscow and refused to impose sanctions against Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.