US extends sanctions waiver to Serbia's Russian-owned refiner NIS, state TV says

BELGRADE, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department has extended a sanctions waiver on Serbia's Russian-owned NIS NIIS.BEL oil company, giving the Balkan country another month to import much needed winter fuel supplies, state-run RTS TV said on Friday.

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on NIS in October as part of broader measures targeting Russia's energy sector over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

The move prompted a halt in oil supplies to Serbia and a shutdown of its only refinery, raising the spectre of winter fuel shortages.

But in December, OFAC granted NIS a sanctions reprieve until Friday, allowing it to import crude oil through Croatia’s JANAF JANF.ZA pipeline. At the same time, it gave NIS until late March to negotiate the divestment of the majority stakes held by the Russia's Gazprom Neft SIBN.MM and Gazprom GAZP.MM.

Since then, NIS looks set to agree a sale to Hungary’s MOL MOLB.BU, potentially solving the dispute.

The new waiver will run until February 20, the report said. NIS and Serbian government officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gazprom and Gazprom Neft hold 11.3% and 44.9% stakes in NIS, respectively. The Serbian government has a 29.9% stake.