This article was originally published in English
Vučić acknowledged that Serbia has resisted falling in line with the rest of Europe in imposing sanctions on Russia, but said Belgrade has repeatedly condemned the invasion of Ukraine. Serbian president says EU membership will not happen by 2028
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Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has denied having close ties with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and rejected suggestions that his country is a “Trojan horse” for Moscow.
Speaking at the Globesec security conference in Prague, Vučić said he had not met or spoken to Putin in the more than two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Yes, we have traditionally excellent ties and we do not hide it. And I am not ashamed of it with Russia. It has always been like this between Serbs and Russians and We are the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions against Russia. And as you can see, I am not afraid to say it openly,” he said. “No one in Europe agrees with me on this issue, but everyone in Europe understands my position.”
Vučić acknowledged that Serbia has so far resisted falling in line with the rest of Europe in imposing sanctions on Russia, but said that Belgrade has repeatedly condemned the invasion of Ukraine on international platforms such as the United Nations General Assembly. Serbia and Turkey are the only EU candidate countries that have refused to impose sanctions.
“Five years ago, 30 percent of our tourism revenues came from Russia. It was difficult to adopt sanctions against Russia and follow the EU Council. It was difficult, but we did it,” said Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović, who was also present at the conference. Montenegro is also an EU candidate country.
Serbia’s EU accession process
Vučić said he had a “great” conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, but admitted that Serbia is unlikely to become an EU member state by 2028, date when some other Western Balkan countries hope to join the bloc.
“I don’t think we will be part of the European Union in 2028, because there are many issues. First of all, we have European Union interests here, which are different from ours from time to time. And I think that if some of us were to become members of the EU, that It won’t happen before 2030. But that’s just my assessment,” he said.
Serbia, which became an EU candidate country in 2012, has made little progress in the areas of rule of law and democratic reformswhich are the main prerequisites for joining the 27-country bloc.
Belgrade must also align its foreign policies with those of the EU, which includes imposing sanctions on Russia. During protests last year after two mass shootings, calls for tighter gun control quickly turned into anti-government protests.
The protesters were angry at the democratic backsliding of the Vučić government, accusing it of growing authoritarianism, corruption and links to organised crime.
The latest Freedom House report ranks Serbia’s political rights at 18 out of 40, placing it in the category of partially free hybrid regimes, with a downward trend towards authoritarianism.