In an interview for the Happy TV station on Monday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that the US is focusing all of its efforts on combating Russia.

"Let’s not be naive. They [the US] aren’t on the side of Serbia," he said.

"They are trying to behave rationally, seriously, so they don’t waste energy and power on someone else because they focused all their efforts against Russia," he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Vucic noted that "good relations with the US are important for us."

The Serbian President's remarks came shortly after the Counselor of the US Department of State Derek Chollet said during his visit to Belgrade on January 12 that if Serbia does not impose sanctions on Russia, the country will be unable to prosper.

Vucic also described Russian sanctions as a "two-edged sword". He predicted increased pressure on Serbia over Kosovo and Metohija, as well as sanctions against Russia. The Serbian President stated that imposing sanctions on Russia would take far more than diplomatic pressure.

"Everyone said that Vucic will introduce sanctions once the elections are over. We have been able to hang on for almost a year. I’m not sure we will impose any sanctions further down the road. Were we happy when sanctions were imposed on us, including by Russians? No. What, cancel Tchaikovsky, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and tear down the monuments?" he concluded.

Vucic has recently warned that the West will require Serbia to sign an agreement denoting the formal recognition of the currently partially-recognized republic of Kosovo as soon as Belgrade agreed to impose sanctions against Russia.

Explainer: The Kosovo-Serbia tension

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

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