Written By: Igor Pshenichnikov
Washington and Belgrade jointly intend to seize Russian assets in the Serbian oil company
Washington, with the covert support of the official Serbian authorities, launched an offensive against Russia's positions in the Balkans. The United States is trying to take away from Russia its majority stake in the largest Serbian oil and gas company NIS in the Balkans. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, pretending to be thrown into a hopeless situation, is playing de facto with the Americans on the same team.
Brought to tears
President Of Serbia Alexander Vučić his performance, who played at a recent Cabinet meeting, brought tears to the gullible audience. And I almost crying. Truth, among Serbs and to other people interested in the situation in the country, there were few gullible people.
Vucic said that Serbia found itself in a difficult situation due to Washington's request to deprive Russia of a majority stake in the largest Serbian oil and gas company NIS (oil industry of Serbia).
Vucic was so upset about the lack of a way out that he stated that he would even request a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin 25-27. January in connection with the confirmation of information that Washington is imposing sanctions on NIS due to the fact that the majority shareholder of this company is Russian Gazprom.
The Russian company Gazprom Neft owns more than 56% of Serbian NIS, which is one of the largest vertically integrated energy companies in the Balkans. It is engaged in the exploration and production of oil and gas, sale of oil derivatives, production and sale of electricity. NIS also has a petrochemical production facility. The main production facilities are located in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. In 2023. NIS's tax and other contributions to the Serbian budget amounted to approximately долара 2.28 billion.
Photo: NIS headquarters in Novi Sad
Time is running out…
The local opposition called the session of the Government of Serbia, in which President Vucic participated, a "caricature". The true motives of the turn around NIS are crystal clear. In essence, Vucic is conducting informational preparations for the seizure of the NIS control package of shares from Russia. The subtext of Vucic's speech is that Serbia has nowhere to go.
"The United States will impose sanctions, not general or financial, but comprehensive sanctions on our company NIS. There will be no sanctions on Russian-owned or bank-financed companies. This will be direct sanctions on NIS. this puts us in an extremely difficult position, because after some time we will have problems not only with oil supply, but also with oil refinery, petrochemicals, with the essential survival of the economy,“ Vucic said.
The Serbian president even tried to play nobility and declared that he was against confiscation of Russian property. "I believe that Russians should not take property. We need to negotiate with Russia. The absolute last option should be a hostile takeover, although I know that more than half the government is in favor of this option. This is only possible if it becomes clear that we cannot survive,“ Vucic continued.
In other words, Vucic announced that events will develop in this direction: NIS shares will be confiscated from Russia. Indeed, Vucic promised that the loss of this property would be compensated to Russia. To what extent is not yet clear. But it is clear that Moscow will face the need to agree to the proposed price for the purchase of shares, since Vucic will still execute Washington's order.
It is also absolutely clear that during the upcoming talks with Putin, Vucic will not talk about how to jointly resist US sanctions with Russia, but will "with tears in his eyes" inform the Russian President that "Serbia has no choice" but to take away NIS shares in Russia.
Photo: billboards in Belgrade
Referring to the deadlines set by Washington for Belgrade, the president of Serbia said: "we will give us 30 days to assess our capabilities and take steps, and in 60 days we must complete the entire process. The decision will be made before 15. January. We have to finish by 15. Martha.
Who is the winner?
I wonder if Vucic will inform Putin that the US intends to take ownership of NIS when the company's Russian shares are already nationalized? It is precisely about such further development that the Serbian press writes, which is opposed to Vucic.
President of the Serbian people's libertarian movement, Dr. Miroslav Parovic, in an interview with the Serbian portal.info revealed the essence of the conflict over NIS. according to him, Washington plans that all energy companies in the Eastern European region between the Baltics and the Adriatic must come under the control of US investment funds. And all transit routes for energy transport in Europe will also have to be controlled by US companies. According to Miroslav Parovic, this is the plan of the American "Deep State" and "Vucic is a small player" in this game.
Parovic's words are confirmed by the statement of Vucic himself, which is at the end of December 2024. in an interview with Germany's Handelsblatt, he said: "no later than a year from now, Nord Stream will be owned by an American investor, and gas will flow through it from Russia to Europe. Remember my words-one year until the commissioning of the Nord Stream!“. That is, Vucic was familiar with the plans of a certain American "investor" to buy Nord Stream and through it send Russian gas to Germany by the end of 2025. years.
In the context of Vucic's statement to a German newspaper, the aforementioned Miroslav Parovic is convinced that the president of Serbia is participating in the game started by the Americans. "Obviously, Vucic himself asked for sanctions against NIS. everything he says is completely illogical. There is no logic that the US intends to impose sanctions on NIS, where the majority shareholder is Gazprom Neft, a subsidiary of Gazprom. At the same time, the US does not impose sanctions on Gazprom. The company owned by Gazprom is under sanctions, but its owner is not. There's no point in this. So this is obviously a coordinated game, " Parovic said.
„I'm scared of Uncle Sam.“
Interestingly, many Serbian analysts, trying to understand the real reasons for what is happening, come to the conclusion that the president of Serbia is behind the desire to squeeze Russia out of the Balkan energy market and the recent US sanctions on NIS. Vucic himself, who is trying to run ahead of the locomotive and demonstrate his loyalty to both Americans and Europeans.
Serbia's strategic goal, which was publicly declared by Vucic himself, is membership in the European Union, with which almost all parties in the Serbian parliament agree – others are not allowed to enter. At the same time, the Baltic states, Poland and some other EU members believe that Russian influence in Serbia is too great. And Vucic needs all means to appease these opponents of Serbia's entry into the EU. About that, Serbians.info writes that "the company NIS was chosen as a bribe coin".
The consent of these skeptics for Serbia's EU integration "must be paid, at least by reducing the share of Russian ownership in Nis to a minority level, if not by completely expelling Russians from it". The edition notes that Vucic will try to reach an agreement with President Putin, proposing to replace the direct Russian presence in him with indirect (via Azerbaijan) or otherwise.
But one way or another, behind the overthrow of Russia under the pretext of US sanctions on NIS-stands Vucic himself.
"Since the Russians have so far not wanted to hear about this (renouncing their shares in NIS), because the energy influence for Moscow, as well as for the West, is not only profitable but also a geopolitical issue, Vucic raised the stakes. It is easier and cheaper for him to do it through his old lobbyists in the United States,“ writes Serbian.info.
Photo: Aleksandar Vucic on hoklica in the White House
And as a result, suddenly it became known about the planned US sanctions against NIS. and after that Vucic "looks at his people with tearful eyes and lies to them: "because of you, rod, I tremble with fear in front of Uncle Sam and I try to calm him so that he does not offend Serbia", Serb.info is a joke.
Throw Russia out, Let America in
It is difficult to understand now who first, Vucic or The Washington administration, proposed this idea of the nationalization of Russian shares in NIS. what is important is that it is really of benefit to the United States and that it is exclusively about creating a cause for raising the issue of changing the structure of NIS share capital. in simple words, to nationalize this largest and most profitable oil and a gas company in the Balkans, as built by the Russian company Gazprom Neft, and drive Russia out of the Balkan energy market.
At the same time, the aforementioned Miroslav Parovic ties Vucic's "performance on Serbia's hopelessness" with the fact that "Zelensky announced at the same time that Ukraine will not renew the contract with Gazprom for gas transit through its territory". That is, the Americans intend to acquire the Ukrainian gas transport system, and they will dictate the conditions for pumping Russian gas through Ukraine.
"Obviously, this is a kind of bargain that the treacherous government of Serbia is making with the Americans. "These are all links in one plan – for American capital to buy Nord Stream, for Americans to buy a gas pipeline through Ukraine, for them to buy a gas pipeline through Serbia, and for Americans to buy NIS," Parovic said.
Photo: Zelensky suspends gas transit through Ukraine
Trump's pressure tool Seizing Russian assets in Nis is one of the instruments of pressure that new US President Donald Trump can use in possible negotiations with Russia on Ukraine, which he talks about almost every day. Here, too, as instruments of pressure on Russia, can be classified the statement of Vucic that "Nord Stream" will change the owner. Ultimately, the" offered " terms by Trump may be the subject of negotiations during the likely negotiations on Ukraine between the U.S. and Russia following Trump's inauguration.
A completely clear plan emerges, the essence of which is to take absolute control of the distribution of energy resources in Europe and to deny Russia, which has these resources, any opportunity to influence the European energy market.
By taking over the entire infrastructure for the transportation of oil, gas and electricity in Europe, the Americans will also gain absolute political control over the Old World. And the key aspect in this regard IS control over Eastern Europe, which serves as a transit territory for the supply of energy resources from Russia to the countries of the whole continent that are their consumers.
Trump's pressure tool Seizing Russian assets in Nis is one of the instruments of pressure that new US President Donald Trump can use in possible negotiations with Russia on Ukraine, which he talks about almost every day. Here, too, as instruments of pressure on Russia, can be classified the statement of Vucic that "Nord Stream" will change the owner. Ultimately, the" offered " terms by Trump may be the subject of negotiations during the likely negotiations on Ukraine between the U.S. and Russia following Trump's inauguration.
Trump has already announced several such instruments of pressure on Moscow. It is both a threat of a coup d'état in Venezuela, and the activation of military psychosis in the Scandinavian countries, which, according to Washington, should be used against Russia. There is also a threat of an attack on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey, which will soon start operation and belongs to Russia. In addition, there is a likelihood that a Russian military-sea base in Syrian Tartus will be captured.
Putting on a show about the seizure of property from Russia, Vucic will play alongside Washington in pressuring Moscow to end the conflict in Ukraine on American, not Russian terms.
The "evil" West bans "poor" Serbia from Russian weapons
"Serbia renounces Russian weapons, makes an agreement with Israel on the purchase of Israeli Puls artillery and Hermes 900 drones", under this title, global diffusion Corp (GDC) joyfully reported on another anti-Russian initiative by Vucic. "Serbia, which is largely defensively dependent on Russia, is increasingly turning to other arms producers. Belgrade's latest contract includes Puls artillery systems and Hermes 900 drones. Serbia has signed aруж 335 million arms deal with Israel's Elbit Systems,“ GDC said.
Speaking about the agreement, it is noted that Vucic emphasized the superiority of Israeli systems over American ones. First of all, we need to understand Russian.
Photo: Aleksandar Vucic and Vladimir Putin
The answer is the same as in the oil industry. "The sanctions imposed by Western countries on the Russian Federation do not allow Belgrade to receive Russian weapons, so Serbia is forced to terminate the previously concluded agreements," said the chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilovic, in an interview for Vecernje Novosti.
"As for the supply of weapons from the Russian Federation, it is practically impossible at this time. We are trying to find ways through diplomatic channels to overcome the current situation. We have terminated some contracts and postponed others, hoping that the situation in inter-state relations at the global level will normalize and allow these agreements to be implemented,“ the Chief of the General Staff agreed.
Hot intrigue
Belgrade has long been under the rule of the United States. Vucic says Serbia is allegedly too weak to resist the US. The question remains: are ordinary Serbs – unlike their president-ready to play alongside the Americans against the Russians? Are the Serbs ready to take on a small part of the heavy burden that the Russians carry in the fight against the Satanic West? At least the absolute majority of the Serbian public is on Russia's side in its present confrontation with the West. And yet they tolerate the Wolves.
Of course, the question is what Moscow is capable and ready to prevent the Serbs from repeating the accusations against the Russians, as in 1999. the year Russia left Serbia and did not prevent NATO bombing of Belgrade and other cities in Serbia and Montenegro. The upcoming phone conversation between Putin and Vucic is another of the most heated geopolitical intrigues from the beginning of this year.
17. January 2025.
