Ambassador Hill: There is no announcement that sanctions will be imposed against NIS

Photo: Marko Jovanovic

US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill said today that there is no announcement that sanctions will be introduced against Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS) but that the US is concerned because it is the only refinery in Serbia, which is majority-owned by Russia.

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He told RTS that there was concern in Washington when the Russians bought NIS.

"Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine, which is barbaric, because this is the 21st century, and it is still going on. There is concern that NIS in Russian hands is financially helping Moscow in the war in Ukraine. That should be considered," said Hill.

According to him, the final decision regarding NIS will not affect the Serbian economy in any way.

"The Serbian economy is growing and we are interested in it continuing to do so," Hill told RTS.

Speaking about EXPO27, Hill said that the US has committed to providing funds for the country's pavilion.

"It is a historic moment for Serbia and we want to participate in it," said Hill.

When asked about Serbia's EU integration, Hill said that it is not up to him to talk about the European Union and who should be admitted, but that Serbia has a lot to offer in terms of economic achievements and the fact that it has very active diplomacy around the world, including in "the global south."

"And I think that Europe and the US should be aware of the fact that Serbia has good relations in that part of the world and I think that we should do more with Serbia and I hope that the European Union will come to that conclusion.

There is always the issue of critical minerals, I know that in Serbia there is a problem with lithium, and in the rest of Europe the issue are critical raw materials, so Germany has mining operations of that type, other European countries and the United States do it as well.

Therefore there are many issues that can bring Serbia closer to the European Union. Honestly, anyone who has been in Serbia for ten minutes knows that this is a European country," concluded Hill.

(Telegraf Biznis/Tanjug)