The recent sanctions imposed by the United States and the United Kingdom on Russia are generating devastating effectsespecially in the oil and energy sectors of the Russian economy. These measures aim to damage the fundamental pillars of Moscow’s energy industry, including its access to key markets in Europe and other regions.
Now, , Ukraine’s partners hope Serbia will come into play to “stick a knife in Russia’s back”. Serbian president Aleksandar Vucichas publicly recognized the international pressure to which his country is being subjected to strain its relationship with Russia, which until now was good.
In particular, Brussels and Washington insist that the capital of the Russian giant Gazprom, which owns a significant stake in the Serbian energy company NIS, be completely withdrawn. Serbia has a 45 day period to meet this demand, which means that the deadline is February 25, 2025. Otherwise, the economic and diplomatic consequences for the Balkan country could be severe.
At the moment, Gazprom Neft owns 50% of NIS sharesand her own Gazprom owns the remaining 6.15%. For its part, the Serbian government controls 29.87% of the company, with the rest of the shares in the hands of minority shareholders.
Gazprom’s participation in NIS has been a pillar in economic relations between both countrieswith Serbia dependent on Russia both in terms of energy supplies and political support.
But the impact of the sanctions is not limited to Gazprom’s interests. In the last few days, The Croatian pipeline operator JANAF, which is responsible for transporting much of the crude oil that NIS uses, has reported that the sanctions will come into full effect within 45 days..
