Szijjarto noted that MOL plays a key role in supplying oil and fuels to Serbia and assured that Budapest will increase the transmission of the raw material. However, the minister added that the increase in supplies from Hungary will not be able to fully compensate for the losses resulting from the restrictions imposed by Croatia.
On Platform X, the Hungarian minister accused Zagreb of suspending deliveries after the introduction of American sanctions. According to Szijjarto, this situation shows the risk of dependence on one source of supply. “We need to maintain many safe routes to protect our energy supply.” – he emphasized.
US sanctions covered NIS due to the domination of the Russian companies Gazprom and Gazprom Neft in the company's ownership structure. Despite changes in recent years, most of the shares still remain in Russian hands. In January, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ruled out the nationalization of NIS, noting that Serbia does not intend to take over Russian assets.
Croatia sets conditions
Croatian JANAF, the main trading partner of NIS, announced the day before the sanctions entered into force that it had obtained consent from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to implement the transport contract with NIS until October 15. This agreement covers the transmission of 10 million tons of oil by the end of 2026.
Croatian Economy Minister Ante Szusznjar stated on Thursday that all planned deliveries to Serbia have already been completed. At the same time, he proposed purchasing the Serbian company, which – in his opinion – could solve the problem of sanctions. He also assured that Croatia is ready to supply the region with energy resources, emphasizing its loyalty to NATO and the European Union.
“As a loyal partner in NATO and the EU, we have invested significantly in our infrastructure and stand ready to deliver sufficient volumes of oil to Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia as soon as circumstances and geopolitical opportunities allow.” said Shushnjar.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reassured on Thursday that, according to official estimates, the NIS refinery can operate until November 1 without additional oil supplies. He also added that Serbia should not have problems with access to fuel by the end of the year.
