Debate on Russia sanctions starts in Serbia, in first

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić signaled for the first time that Belgrade could reverse its course and finally impose sanctions on Russia, which is one of the EU's key demands for Serbia to make progress in EU membership talks.

This was reported by Euractiv, according to Ukrinform.

“We condemn the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and that is how we voted in international bodies. Whether we will impose sanctions on Russia is another matter. It is not a matter of time or deadlines, it’s a matter that concerns our political and economic interests,” he said.

Dačić noted that, since the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and until now, Serbia has not joined the Western sanctions against Moscow, as Belgrade assessed that it would not be in the interests of the Balkan state.

“If something changes to the detriment of Serbia’s interests, then our decision will be adjusted accordingly because we shall assess at every moment what is the best decision for our economy, for our standing in the world, and for the citizens of Serbia,” the minister said.

In another sign that Serbia's narrative on Russia, considered a traditional Serbian ally, may be changing, the country's Prime Minister Ana Brnabić , who attended the opening of the EURACTIV Serbia office in Belgrade Wednesday night, said spoke of the "Russian aggression against Ukraine", a wording Serbia had not previously used.

As reported by Ukrinform, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called out as a “lie” international media references to himself as Putin's puppet, emphasizing that Crimea and Donbas belong to Ukraine.