The United States is insisting on a full restructuring of ownership at Serbia’s oil and gas company NIS, demanding the removal of Russian capital from the enterprise, Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović-Handanović said at a press conference on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters, the minister stated:
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“The U.S. administration has clearly expressed its desire for a complete change in the ownership structure of NIS and is demanding the withdrawal of Russian assets from the company,”
she said, as quoted by Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS.
According to Đedović-Handanović, discussions over the future ownership of the company are ongoing, but the process cannot be rushed.
“We were not given even a single day for NIS to continue operating under the current structure, and citizens must understand that changing an owner in seven days is impossible,” she added.
NIS, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft, was placed on the U.S. SDN sanctions list in early 2025. Following that decision, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić confirmed that the U.S. is demanding a complete withdrawal of Russian capital from the company.
Currently, the key shareholders of NIS are:
Gazprom Neft – 44.85%
Government of Serbia – 29.87%
Intelligence JSC – 11.3% (managed by Gazprom Capital, which also holds several financial assets of the Gazprom group)
Gazprom PJSC – holds one NIS share directly
Additional minority shareholders
The U.S. demand places Belgrade in a delicate balancing act as it navigates pressure from Western partners while maintaining its long-standing energy ties with Moscow.
