Why did the U.S. government grant MOL more time to negotiate the purchase of NIS?

The U.S. government granted MOL more time because NIS is subject to U.S. sanctions imposed in October over its Russian ownership—specifically, a 56.16% stake held by Russia's Gazprom Neft—and Washington has been pushing for the divestment of that Russian stake; MOL received an OFAC license extension to continue negotiations until June 16 to finalize transaction documentation, following prior interim waivers and a previous deadline of June 6.

What is the current status of MOL’s negotiations to acquire NIS?

Negotiations have progressed materially, and MOL has secured a U.S. Treasury OFAC license extension allowing it to continue talks until June 16 to finalize transaction documentation; this follows an earlier license valid until June 6, after which MOL requested and received the new extension on Wednesday.

US gives Hungary's MOL more time for talks to buy Serbian oil firm NIS

Jun 6, 2026

The U.S. granted MOL an extension until June 16 to finalize negotiations for acquiring a majority stake in Serbia's NIS from Russia's Gazprom Neft. This waiver permits continued deal progress despite sanctions on Moscow's energy sector.

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