Almost every meeting with European politicians over the past four and a half years has been a “real pain” because of the pressure on Serbia to impose sanctions on Russia, said Aleksandar Vucic. His statement came hours after he resigned as president of Serbia.
“The first question at every meeting was: why haven't you imposed sanctions on Russia? Every time“, Vucic said at a press conference, quoted by RBC via the Serbian media “Informer“. He said Belgrade's foreign policy has been particularly difficult to conduct due to the need to maintain relations with both the European Union and Moscow.
The NIS case complicated talks with Moscow
Vucic said that talks with the Russian side have also been tense, mainly over the energy company NIS. The United States has imposed sanctions on the company because of Russian control over its ownership.
“The Russians want to keep NIS at all costs, and the other side wants to take it away from them. In the end, Serbia suffers”, Vucic said.
Belgrade has so far maintained a position against joining the European Union's sanctions against Russia, while at the same time stating that the country's strategic goal remains EU membership. According to Reuters, the balance between relations with Moscow, Beijing and Brussels is among the main challenges facing Serbian politics.
Brnabić takes over as interim president
Vucic signed his resignation on September 27 at the presidency in Belgrade, before completing his second five-year term. As of September 28, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ana Brnabić, has been acting as interim president, the Serbian government announced.
Presidential elections are due to be held by the end of December. Before that, on October 25, the country will hold early parliamentary elections. Vucic is leaving the presidency to head the election campaign of the Serbian Progressive Party. If the party wins, it has decided to nominate him for prime minister, BTA reported.
The resignation comes after nearly two years of mass protests that began after the collapse of a canopy at a railway station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024. The incident killed 16 people. Protesters demanded accountability for the tragedy, transparency in public procurement and early parliamentary elections.
Reuters reported that in the final hours before the resignation, hundreds of Vucic supporters gathered in front of the presidency in Belgrade. The new head of state will be elected by the end of the year, and the parliamentary vote on October 25 will determine whether Vucic will return to power as prime minister.
Sources: RBC, BTA, Reuters