Serbia extends Russian gas supplies until March 31
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (photo: Getty Images)
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic agreed on extending Russian gas supplies to his country for another three months, until March 31, Serbian outlet RTS reports.
According to Vucic, the reached agreement will ensure stable energy supplies during the winter period, so "Serbs will sleep peacefully."
Earlier, Serbian authorities reported that the current contract for gas supplies from Russia had been extended until the end of 2025, and Belgrade expects to conclude a new long-term agreement. Serbia continues to receive Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline route.
Vucic also said that representatives of Gazprom (a Russian state-owned energy company) are discussing the sale of a stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (a Serbian oil and gas company) under US sanctions to the Hungarian national company MOL. The politician emphasized that the Serbian authorities have no objections to this.
"Hungarians are our friends. We need to finish as soon as possible, by January 15," the Serbian president added.
Serbia does not support EU sanctions against Russia. According to representatives of the pro-Russian authorities, Belgrade chose this position because it will not affect Russia at all, but will strongly influence the Serbian economy.
Serbia is preparing an amendment to the budget law that would allow the nationalization of a sanctioned Russian oil refinery.
