The U.S. has refused to grant an operations waiver for Serbia’s sanctioned Russia-linked oil company, the Serbian energy minister said. The Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), which runs the refinery, was hit with U.S. sanctions last month. Banks have since stopped processing transactions, and Croatia’s JANAF pipeline, Serbia’s key crude oil supply route, has halted deliveries. Earlier, Reuters reported that the refinery can operate only until November 25 without new supplies. Russian energy giants Gazprom and Gazprom Neft together own 56% of NIS, while the Serbian government owns around 30%.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and the EU have urged Serbia to cut its historically close ties with Russia, which Belgrade has so far resisted. The U.S. also aims to push Russia from the European market, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright saying in September that Washington was prepared to “displace” the importation of Russian oil and gas.