The only oil refinery of NIS in Serbia is forced to operate at limited capacity due to US demands to cease control by Russian owners. The company is currently awaiting a decision from Washington that will determine the future of the enterprise.
This is reported by Business • Media
Serbia Requests a License for NIS from the US
Serbian Minister of Energy Dubravka Jedovic has appealed to US authorities to extend the license for NIS during negotiations regarding the exit of Russian capital. According to her, Serbia has fully met its obligations, and the negotiations are being conducted transparently and openly. She emphasized that the final decision now depends on the US.
“We have four days to avoid a complete shutdown of the refinery, and therefore we once again ask OFAC and the US administration to issue a license for NIS to operate while negotiations regarding the exit of Russian ownership are ongoing,” said Serbian Minister of Energy Dubravka Jedovic.
Lukoil in the US: Payment Issues at Gas Stations
Meanwhile, in the United States, Lukoil-branded gas stations, which primarily operate as franchises in New Jersey, are facing serious issues with accepting card payments. These disruptions are due to US sanctions against the Russian Federation. New Jersey is home to over 110 Lukoil gas stations, accounting for about 60% of all the company’s stations in the country. Traditionally, up to 85% of sales at these stations were made using bank cards.
Additionally, a number of Democratic US senators believe that the administration of President Donald Trump is not enforcing sanctions against the Russian export terminal Arctic LNG 2 strictly enough. They pointed out that the terminal operator, Novatek, has sold about 14 batches of liquefied natural gas at significant discounts of 30-40% to buyers from China since August, which may indirectly support the Russian economy.