Vučić called the condition for the introduction of sanctions against Russia by Serbia

Serbia can impose anti-Russian sanctions only if its interests are threatened, declared President of the Republic Aleksandar Vučić on air of Prva TV channel.

According to him, over the past year, everyone could be convinced of the accuracy and integrity of Belgrade’s position on sanctions against Russia.

“We will see how long we can defend this position, in any case, not at the cost of threatening the vital interests of our country, but we will not easily renounce this position,” Vucic said (quoted by RIA Novosti).

The head of state could not answer the question whether Belgrade would impose sanctions, and said that his “I don’t know” weighs more than other “yes””.

Since the beginning of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the EU has already imposed nine packages of sanctions against the Russian Federation. The latter this year was officially approved in mid-December. Then Vucic said that Serbia will join to anti-Russian sanctions only if its vital interests are threatened.

According to him, Serbia has no obligations to Russia, which imposed sanctions against it in 1992, but considers it a moral duty to abandon such a policy, since the republic itself was under sanctions. “Not everything is black and white, I am pragmatic, I swore allegiance to my people and the citizens of Serbia,” Vučić stressed. The President of Serbia also recalled that Russia supported the republic in the UN.

Earlier in September, the Serbian leader stressed that he did not consider sanctions a solution to the problem. In addition, according to him, Serbia “does not want to go against” those who previously supported it. Vučić called this position of the country “difficult policy”. The EU countries have repeatedly criticized the Serbian authorities for their unwillingness to join the sanctions against Russia. In June, MEPs adopted a resolution requiring Belgrade to join the EU sanctions.