As the 29 July deadline nears, Serbia has formally requested a 180-day extension of the U.S. sanctions waiver for Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), its main oil company majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom. The waiver has so far allowed NIS to import crude oil despite international sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine.
Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović underscored the company’s vital role in national energy stability, while Hungary has voiced support, citing the interconnected nature of regional energy markets.
The situation highlights the growing tension between EU-aligned energy strategies and on-the-ground dependencies in the Adria region, where several countries still rely on legacy supply routes and infrastructure. Serbia’s request could test Washington’s flexibility and signal how sanctions policy intersects with Southeast Europe’s complex energy landscape.
