The United States has extended a sanctions waiver for the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS) until September 26, the Serbian government said on August 27.

This is the sixth postponement of restrictions against the company. The waiver, issued by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), allows NIS to continue operating despite sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector. Gazprom and its subsidiary Gazprom Neft together hold a majority stake in the Serbian oil firm.

The delay follows recent US-Russia talks in Alaska, which may have influenced Washington’s decision.

As bne IntelliNews has argued, the rapprochement between Washington and Moscow means it is unlikely that US President Donald Trump will move forward with sanctions affecting Russia’s energy partners such as Serbia.

Energy Minister Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic said NIS would continue to secure stable fuel supplies. “The ultimate goal is to remove NIS from the sanctions list... We hope that high-level talks between the US and Russia will contribute to progress,” she told state broadcaster RTS.

NIS formally requested removal from OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list in March, but the process is expected to take time. The US imposed sanctions on Russia’s oil sector in January to curb Moscow’s revenue from the war in Ukraine.

Dusan Bajatovic, head of state-owned gas company Srbijagas, said on August 26 that NIS operations remained stable and that Serbia had fuel reserves for six to eight months. He ruled out immediate risks of shortages or price spikes.