GOP lawmakers urge Trump to reimpose sanctions on Russian-owned Serbian refinery

A pair of House Republicans are urging the Trump administration to resume sanctions on a Russian-owned refinery in Serbia, according to a letter obtained exclusively by The Hill. The GOP criticism marks another instance of growing Republican pushback against the president’s foreign policy actions.

Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Keith Self (R-Texas), staunch allies of President Trump, sent a letter to the Treasury Department on Friday arguing against extending sanctions relief provided to Serbia’s Russian-owned energy company, NIS.

“We write to you to respectfully request that you reconsider extending any additional temporary licenses allowing Serbia’s Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS) to continue operating despite U.S. sanctions related to its Russian ownership,” the lawmakers wrote. The letter was addressed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The U.S. has repeatedly issued sanctions waivers for NIS since the company was blacklisted in January 2025 after sanctions related to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

NIS supplies 80 percent of Serbia’s energy needs but is majority owned by U.S.-sanctioned Russian energy giants Gazprom Neft and Gazprom.

Last week, NIS applied for another waiver ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline, when their most recent is set to expire.

Wilson and Self raise concern that the waivers are enabling NIS to drag out negotiations to sell off the Russian stake in the company. In January, Hungarian-based company MOL announced it had reached a deal with Gazprom Neft to take over its majority share in NIS, but it has not yet concluded.

“Negotiations over the final purchase agreement remain ongoing, and MOL has sought continued authorization from your department to continue to operate despite limited progress,” the lawmakers wrote.

“Furthermore, Serbia continues to maintain close political and economic ties with Russia and, unlike most European countries, has not imposed sanctions on Moscow following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,” they added.

The rare GOP pushback comes as Republicans are increasingly speaking out over Trump’s handling of foreign affairs. This includes concern over the president inviting Putin to a major economic summit in Miami at the end of the year, despite the ongoing war with Ukraine; increasing GOP criticism over the course of the seven-month war with Iran, which has upended global energy supplies and triggered rising diesel and gasoline prices; and outrage over Trump’s lavish hosting of Chinese President Xi Jinping .