Serbia to Sign Three-Year Gas Deal with Russia Despite Western Pressure

Serbia will sign a three-year agreement with Russia in October to import natural gas, which will ensure annual supplies of 2.5 billion cubic meters, despite pressure from Western countries regarding EU sanctions.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters.

The head of the state gas company Serbiagas, Dusan Bajatovic, said that the country already receives 2.5 million cubic meters of gas daily from Azerbaijan and an additional 9.5 million cubic meters daily from Russia. 

In October, Serbia plans to sign an agreement with Russia on the import of natural gas for the supply of 2.5 billion cubic meters annually. 

Serbia also has a gas storage facility with a capacity of 780 million cubic meters, with the possibility of obtaining an additional 200 million cubic meters from a storage facility in Hungary if necessary.

Despite its desire to join the EU, Serbia remains one of the few European buyers of Russian gas and has not yet joined the EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. 

In addition, oil monopoly NIS, owned by Russia's Gazprom Neft, is seeking a seventh waiver from the US to impose sanctions on it.

Moreover, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić plans to discuss tariffs and potential sanctions against NIS with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while maintaining a strategic energy partnership with Russia.

As The Gaze reported earlier, the United States has postponed sanctions against Serbian oil company NIS, owned by Russia's Gazprom Neft, for the sixth time, allowing it to continue operating Serbia's only oil refinery and ensuring stable oil supplies for the entire country.