Serbia will not sanction Russia: President

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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said, on Thursday, that Belgrade will not impose sanctions on Russia until its very existence is threatened.

The Serbian President made the remarks during a televised appearance on the TV Prva broadcaster.

"As long as there is no existential threat to Serbia, to its citizens, we will not [impose sanctions], we will pursue an independent policy which we have defined by decisions of the Security Council. If we find ourselves in such a situation, if I see and understand that we are faced with an existential threat, then I will address the citizens of Serbia and tell them that we must do so,” he said.

“You are asking me whether this moment has come, I think it has not. I am proud that for 240 days we have been pursuing an independent policy," he added. The president reiterated that he "is not looking for an excuse to impose sanctions," and that he can "find five million reasons" not to.

"I seek a moral and legally unimpeachable position for the country that I love the most and lead by choice of its citizens," Vucic said.

The president concluded by saying that Serbia, which the West has accused of violating UN resolutions and the UN Charter over the Kosovo issue, is preventing “the West from accusing Russia of violating international law in the current situation”.

In 2008, Kosovo separated from Serbia - although most countries recognize Kosovo's independence, Russia and China have blocked its official recognition in the United Nations.

Earlier in March, Serbians rallied in Belgrade in support of Russia, and Serbia has recently voiced its refusal to join NATO, citing the 1999 killing of Yugoslavian children.

The country has been under immense pressure to join the EU in imposing sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. However, Serbia has refused to join the sanctions on Moscow. 

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