Belgrade's refusal to join the anti-Russian sanctions is one of the key reasons for the strong external pressure on Serbia. This was stated by former prime minister and leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party Miloš Vučević in an exclusive comment to TASS.
„Serbia is paying a high price for pursuing a sovereign policy, not giving up Kosovo and Metohija, providing assistance to Republika Srpska and not imposing sanctions against Russia“, the politician emphasized.
He pointed out that „Serbia is the only country in Europe, along with Belarus, that has not joined the restrictions against Moscow“. "There is no doubt that this is one of the key reasons why we have been under such strong pressure all this time," Vucevic noted.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic previously stressed that Serbia does not intend to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation and will continue to pursue an independent and principled foreign policy that is supported by the citizens of the republic.
The Serbian leader also stressed that the ongoing mass unrest in the country and attacks on institutions in Belgrade are part of an "attempted color revolution, organized and paid for from outside." According to the head of state, about 3 billion euros were invested in supporting opposition movements from abroad with the aim of overthrowing him from power.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, the Serbian president, in an address to the nation after a meeting of the Security Council, stated that his country supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but will not impose sanctions against the Russian Federation. Vučić noted that Serbia considers Russia and Ukraine to be fraternal countries and regrets what is happening in Eastern Europe. He also announced his readiness to provide humanitarian aid to Kiev.