Vucic: We have one week for final decision on NIS, we will even offer higher price

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday a final decision on a solution for Serbia's Russian majority-owned oil company NIS - which is under US sanctions - must be made within a week and that, in case the Russian side failed to reach a deal with its negotiation partners, Serbia would even offer a higher price for the Russian stake in NIS and noted that Belgrade did not want to seize anyone's property.

"We must make a final decision by next week. It they (the Russian side) fail to agree on a price with European and Asian partners, my proposal to you is that you consider us offering a better price. Even though we are not their choice - we were not Russia's choice, I suppose they thought they can get this done through a management - we must offer a higher price," Vucic noted at a government session he attended at the invitation of PM Djuro Macut.

He announced that he would speak with the Russian side and that he hoped Russia's Asian and European partners would accept negotiations about ownership of the company.

Without oil supplies, Serbia would face a complete collapse by February 13, he added.

"That would mean that the refinery and everything else is not operating either. I will speak with the Americans. I will ask them to help us with that issue. I will speak with them and ask them to help us with that issue, that they enable us to have some oil supplies so that the refinery can operate," Vucic noted.

Earlier, Minister of Energy and Mining Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic announced the US had sent a negative message regarding NIS, signalling that Washington wanted a complete change of ownership of the Russian stake in the company.

She said that, in response to a request from NIS, the US had given permission for negotiations about ownership to proceed until no later than February 13 but had not allowed NIS and the oil refinery to continue to operate.