Djedovic Handanovic: MOL has requested 30 more days from OFAC to complete NIS talks

ST PETERSBURG - Hungary's MOL has requested 30 more days from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to complete talks on its acquisition of a Russian stake in the Serbian oil company NIS, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said in St Petersburg on Wednesday.

Since October 9, 2025, NIS has been under US sanctions due to its Russian-majority ownership.

On May 22, MOL Group announced that it had obtained from the OFAC an extended licence until June 6 to complete the negotiations.

"(Gazprom Neft CEO) Mr (Alexander) Dyukov has confirmed that active talks between Gazprom Neft and Hungary's MOL are continuing and that, today, MOL requested additional time from the OFAC to complete the talks. We know that the deadline expires on June 6, and they requested 30 more days to complete the talks. The MOL top executive, Zsolt Hernadi, also confirmed this to me yesterday," Djedovic Handanovic said.

She noted that there definitely was willingness on the Hungarian side to find a solution.

"What Mr Dyukov also confirmed to me is that NIS will request an additional extension of the operating licence, which expires on June 16," Djedovic Handanovic said.