Serbia´s siding with Russia in the aggression against Ukraine is duly noted. This siding shows a lot about the ambitions of this country in relation to other countries of the Western Balkans. President Vucic´s men continue to brawl of ‘Serbian World’ and ‘Denazification of Balkans.’
Despite the efforts of the USA and the EU to orient Serbia towards pro-Western democratic values, the Serbian government continues to implicitly and explicitly support Russia in the invasion. Furthermore, Serbia is the only European country that does not impose sanctions on Russia.
Serbia’s support for Russia and lack of political will to impose sanctions against Russia were also criticized at the first summit of the European Political Community in Prague. During this meeting, the European Union voted for the eighth package of sanctions against Russia. Sanctions package also includes limiting the price of Russian oil exported from third countries, which would indirectly include Serbia. Serbia has been deprived of the privilege of importing oil, gas and other products from Russia.
However, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic has so far managed to maintain good ties with both sides. Although Serbia voted in favor of the United Nations resolution condemning the invasion of Russia, until now Serbia has not joined the majority of countries that sanctioned Russia for the aggression against Ukraine, nor has it recognized the results of the referendums held in four regions of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.
Russia has refused to recognize Kosovo until now. However, when it comes to an annexation of four regions of Ukraine, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhya, Russian argument includes Kosovo secession from Serbia.Recently, in a statement published on the website of the Russian MFA, it is stated, among other things, that Kosovo is a model for annexation.
Serbian President Aleksander Vucic did not comment on the statement of Russian MFA, but Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic, referring to the Charter of the United Nations, said that Serbia does not recognize the results of the referendum held in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Although two completely different cases, Kosovo and Ukraine have been compared very often by Kremlin officials, the latter sometimes recognize the territorial integrity of Kosovo and sometimes they don’t, depending on how it suits their situation. This indicates that Serbia is being used by Russia to serve Russian Foreign Policy interests and as a proxy to destabilize the Western Balkans by implementing the Kremlin’s policies against the West. Consequently, keeping the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia tense and unsolved.
Russia’s attempts to keep Serbia and Bosnia out of NATO and the EU are directly related to its interests to diffuse the conflict created in Ukraine, to create as many allies as possible against the West and have more open fronts for West´s attention. The initiative for the ‘reintegration’ of Kosovo in the constitutional order of Serbia, published recently by a group of Serbian politicians and intellectuals, is very similar to Russia’s efforts to ‘reintegrate’ the regions of Ukraine and it seems that the idea was motivated if not ordered from Russia. However, a small detail distinguishes both initiatives, in the Serbian initiative for the ‘reintegration’ of Kosovo, the word ‘war’ is not presented as a plan even though the very ambition to return Kosovo under the constitutional order of Serbia, means use of military forces. War would be inevitable.
As the only country in Europe that has a pro-Russian stand on the aggression against Ukraine, Serbia is still being pampered by the EU as well. Although it is not showing any readiness to harmonize its foreign policies with the European Union, it has not seen much criticism from the EU itself. Until recent developments at the European Parliament. A few days ago, it was reported that the European Parliament will condition continuation of the negotiations for Serbia’s membership in the EU, with the imposition of sanctions against Russia.
Also, Serbia faced criticism from the USA and the EU, on the last agreement between Serbia and Russia on the Consultation Plan of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries, which was signed at the end of September. This joint effort to coordinate and build synergies in foreign policy between Russia and Serbia, has only one benefactor- Russia and Russian diplomats. Amidst war in Ukraine, Economic sanctions imposed by the EU and USA, economy drowning and significant losses in the field, Russian coordination with Serbia seems like a charade.
But it seems that Serbia´s sitting in two chairs is coming to an end. With a firm stand of the European Parliament and upcoming increased criticism by the EU along with the USA, will Serbia ‘defect’ to the west and choose to align with NATO? Nobody is sure, but one thing is for sure, if not- Serbia will join the other end of sanctions from all the above.
