site.btaSerbian President Confers with Russian Ambassador on Gas Supplies, Joint Projects

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held talks with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belgrade, Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, on gas supply and infrastructure projects aimed at further strengthening Serbia’s energy system, Vucic said in an Instagram post on Thursday. 

The meeting comes days after Vucic announced on December 2 that Serbia’s only oil company, NIS, had not received a licence to operate from the United States, which would lead to the halting of operations at the refinery. 

“I am confident that through open dialogue and respect for our shared interests, we will continue to build relations that ensure security, stability and predictability for our country,” Vucic said. Earlier this week, he stated that if no agreement with Russia on gas deliveries is reached by Friday, Serbia will begin negotiations with other countries as of Monday.

On Wednesday, the Serbian Parliament adopted the 2026 State Budget, allocating RSD 164 billion (around EUR 1.4 billion) to ensure “the country’s energy security and stability.”

In early January, the US announced that due to the war in Ukraine and "secondary risk", it would impose sanctions on NIS, which is majority-owned by Russian oil giant Gazprom. The sanctions came into force on October 9 after being postponed eight times. Washington demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian capital from the company, but Russia announced that it was ready to sell its stake. At its meeting on November 25, the Serbian government decided to give Russia 50 days to find a buyer for its stake.