They forgot that it was only to these Russians that we could turn for help.
Pro-European members of the government and the opposition in Serbia are advocating for the nationalization of the Russian-Serbian company "NIS Gazprom Neft" (NIS), which has come under American sanctions.
However, according to the founder of the "Socialist Movement" party and former Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vulin, resolving the situation with this company is only possible through an agreement with the Russian Federation.
"The pro-European opposition and ministers with pro-European positions demand that Serbia confiscate Russian property and take NIS. They easily forget that it was these Russians who have provided us with stable supplies at minimal prices for decades, and even more easily forget that it was only to these Russians that we could turn for help when we tried to introduce self-proclaimed Kosovo into Interpol or UNESCO, or when a resolution on genocide in Srebrenica was adopted at the UN," Vulin noted in a statement.
As the politician emphasized, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the overwhelming majority of the country's residents remember honor and gratitude; otherwise, "NIS would have long been 'returned,' and Serbia would be looking for a way to the EU through the supply of ammunition to Ukraine and sending Serbian soldiers to minefields."
"The decision on NIS, considering the past and for the sake of the future, must be reached exclusively through negotiations with Russia. The confiscation of Russian property would be the first, but not the last act of this kind and a disgrace — then let the Chinese prepare as well," the statement said.
Last week, the National Assembly of Serbia approved the draft budget for 2026, which allocates 164 billion dinars (approximately 1.4 billion euros) in case the republic has to take control of the Russian-Serbian NIS. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that the authorities would make a decision on the situation with "NIS Gazprom Neft" on January 15, if by that time the Russian side does not sell the controlling stake in the company to a third party.
The only oil refinery in Serbia, owned by NIS, has begun the process of shutting down due to a lack of raw materials for processing due to U.S. sanctions. According to a source in the oil and gas industry, a complete shutdown of the plant and all equipment will take several days.
According to Serbian authorities, operational fuel reserves of NIS, as well as state reserves of diesel fuel, gasoline, and fuel oil in Serbia, will last until the end of January, despite American sanctions.
In a statement after a meeting with government members and heads of state energy companies on Tuesday, the President of Serbia stated that the country had not received a response from the U.S. regarding the request to suspend sanctions against "NIS Gazprom Neft," which were imposed in January, postponed several times, and came into effect on October 9.
President Vučić reported that the government supported his plan to propose to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to give the Russian owners of NIS 50 days to find a buyer for the controlling stake. If the deal does not take place within this period, the state will first take over the management of the company and then pay the Russian side "the maximum price."
