Russians agreed to sell their stake in NIS

She emphasized that the name of the third party is not being disclosed because these are business negotiations between serious companies, and, as she said, until they are concluded—or at least the most important details are defined—it is not appropriate to discuss them.

“Nothing is being hidden from the public. As you have seen, we have communicated very transparently about everything so far. Our demand is clear: the refinery must continue operating and a new supply of crude oil must be secured as soon as possible. I remind you that for 43 days no oil arrived in Serbia from Janaf; citizens did not feel it, precisely because we worked hard to be prepared for all scenarios in case of challenges with the Petroleum Industry of Serbia,” the minister said.

She also noted that NIS, through its lawyers in the U.S., submitted a request to the American government to extend its operating license, so that it can continue delivering crude oil and keep the refinery running.

“We are now waiting for the decision of the U.S. government to say whether what they proposed—which, of course, we are involved in—is acceptable,” Djedović Handanović explained.