Vucic did not change his position on sanctions against Russia after meeting with Zelensky

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky, did not change his position on sanctions against Russia. Vucic said this on the sidelines of the summit of the European Political Community.

“We had an honest conversation, but the decision on sanctions is made by the citizens of Serbia, through their leadership, and we made our decision in March 2022,” Vučić said (quote by “Evening News”). He noted that the republic “has its own policy, Serbia is an independent and independent country.”

The Serbian President noted that Ukraine “has not recognized the independence of Kosovo and respects the territorial integrity of Serbia, just as Serbia, in accordance with the UN Charter, respects the integrity of Ukraine.”

11 May Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic informedthat Serbia will not impose sanctions against Russia for political, human and moral reasons. He added that the country is already accustomed to the pressure of Western countries. According to him, representatives of the West “thus earn their wages.”

After the start of the military operation in Ukraine, Western countries imposed large-scale sanctions against the Russian Federation. At the same time, Serbia has repeatedly stressed that it will not join them. Vucic declaredthat the republic will join the anti-Russian sanctions only if its vital interests are threatened.

The EU countries have repeatedly criticized the Serbian authorities for their unwillingness to join the sanctions against Russia. In particular, in the summer of 2022, MEPs adopted a resolution in which they demanded that Belgrade join the EU sanctions.