Vucic called meetings with the West torture due to sanctions against Russia
Quick Look
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said meetings with Western representatives over the past four years have been a torment for him due to pressure over sanctions against Russia, and contacts with the Russians have been complicated by US sanctions against the oil company NIS.
- He resigned to lead the ruling party's campaign in the October 25 parliamentary elections.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Aleksandar Vucic has resigned as Serbia's president to lead a coalition campaign around the ruling Serbian Progressive Party in parliamentary elections on October 25. Previously, OFAC extended the deadline for MOL's sale of a controlling stake in NIS and NIS's operating license until September 30.
Aleksandar Vucic said that meetings with Western representatives over the past four years have been torture for him due to pressure on the issue of sanctions against Russia.
He added that contacts with the Russians were complicated due to US sanctions against the Serbian Oil Industry.
BELGRADE, September 27 - RIA Novosti. Aleksandar Vučić, who resigned as Serbian president on Sunday, said that meeting with Western representatives over the past four years has been a torment for him, but contacting the Russians, he said, was difficult because of US sanctions against the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS).
Vucic resigned as president to lead a coalition campaign around the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SPP) in parliamentary elections on October 25.
“Every meeting in the last four years in Europe has been a torment, I didn’t feel good at any of them, because at every one the first question was: why didn’t I introduce sanctions against the Russian Federation. And it was difficult with the Russians, because their goal is to keep NIS for themselves... And to take it away from others, and in the end Serbia suffers,” Vucic said after the signing.
Earlier, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury extended the deadline for the sale of a controlling stake of 56.15% of Gazprom Neft shares in the Russian-Serbian NIS to the Hungarian oil and gas company MOL. OFAC also extended NIS's operating license until September 30. NIS last Thursday asked the US Treasury to extend its license after this period.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Serbia will continue to experience pressure from the West regarding sanctions against Russia during the pre-election period
Likely · Within weeks
OFAC may extend NIS's operating license beyond September 30 if Serbia does not find an alternative solution for the assets
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- What specific conditions does the West put forward regarding sanctions against Russia in negotiations with Serbia?
- How does Serbia plan to balance relations with the West and Russia under sanctions pressure?
- What consequences could a possible loss of control over NIS have for Serbia?
