'Serbia will not impose sanctions against Russia,' Vucic says
Serbia will not impose sanctions against Russia and will continue to adhere to its established policy on the issue, President Aleksandar Vucic said, responding to recent comments by Minister for European Affairs Nemanja Starovic, Serbian outlet Dnevnik reported on July 27.
"We will continue with our policy, which was principled and which has proven to be correct so far, which no one liked, neither those in the West nor those in the East," Vucic said, adding that Serbian citizens approve of the policy because it is the "policy of an independent and sovereign state."
In an interview published July 25 by Austria's APA news agency, Serbian European Integration Minister Nemanja Starovic suggested that Serbia would consider aligning with EU sanctions on Russia once the country's accession to the European Union is imminent.
Serbia, an official EU candidate since 2012, has repeatedly expressed its goal of joining the bloc. However, progress has stalled due to ongoing concerns over democratic backsliding and persistent tensions with Kosovo.
Starovic emphasized that Belgrade's current refusal to impose sanctions stems from economic necessity rather than political loyalty.
"Russia would not be affected at all, but the Serbian economy would be affected to a huge extent," he said.
Vucic, however, rebuffed the remarks, calling them "careless."
"I'm sorry that some of our friends in the Russian media can hardly wait to find something to criticize Serbia for," he said.
"And I'm sorry that we have many people in our domestic political arena who would rather rush to the defense of the Russians than ever rush to the defense of Serbia. I have to disappoint them: Serbia will not impose sanctions against Russia."
Vucic has long walked a delicate diplomatic line between the West and Russia. In May, Russian intelligence accused Serbia of supplying weapons to Ukraine—a claim Belgrade has denied. A 2024 Financial Times investigation found that Serbian ammunition had reached Ukraine via third-party intermediaries, albeit on both sides of the war.
Facing heightened scrutiny, Vucic announced on June 23 that Serbia was suspending all arms exports, citing national security and economic concerns.
Earlier that month, on June 11, Vucic made his first visit to Ukraine to attend the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Odesa.
While he declined to sign the summit declaration condemning Russian aggression, he offered Serbia's support with postwar reconstruction efforts in Ukrainian cities.
