Serbia will protect its interests regarding NIS oil company, president says

BELGRADE, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Serbia will do everything it can to protect its interests in the face of U.S. sanctions against Serbia-based, Russia-owned oil company NIS NIIS.BEL, its president Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday.

Washington announced sanctions in January against NIS, Serbia's biggest oil importer and one of Russia's last remaining energy assets in Europe, over Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A series of waivers, however, had delayed them until last week, when NIS said that no further postponement was forthcoming.

"Our Russian friends have understood our message. We understood their interests. We will do everything, tactically and strategically, in the best interest of Serbia," said Vucic in a video post on Instagram.

The post followed what Vucic called "frank, open and sincere talks" with Alexander Dyukov - CEO of NIS's parent company Gazpromneft SIBN.MM - and Russia's deputy energy minister Pavel Sorokin.

"There will be no shortages of crude oil, its derivatives and no energy crisis," he added.

Vucic did not specify the scope of measures Serbia could undertake to secure unimpeded supplies of crude oil.

The decision on Thursday by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control prompted the JANAF JANF.ZA oil pipeline from neighbouring Croatia, which supplies crude to the NIS refinery near Belgrade, to cut shipments.

Without deliveries, NIS - Serbia's only refinery, accounting for around 80% of all its oil products from gasoline to jet fuel - will struggle to operate beyond November 1, Vucic said last week.

On Monday, Slovenia's Petrol fuel retailer, which is active in Serbia, said it was no longer sourcing supplies from NIS. Other foreign players in the Serbian market, such as Greece's Eko and the Austrian OMV OMV.VI, started using their own supply lines in April . Last week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the country's oil company MOL MOLB.BU would increase its deliveries to Serbia.