European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has stated that Serbia must impose sanctions on Russia in order to eventually join the European Union.
The Brussels official outlined this condition just days after Serbia’s opposition Student List movement secured 52.5% of the vote in the 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—a position he has consistently maintained due to key trading and cultural ties.
During a recent interview, Kos was asked if it would be possible for Serbia to become an EU member without imposing sanctions on Russia. She explained that the EU demands “strategic alignment” from potential members as part of its pre-accession review process.
“Probably, it will not be possible” for a country to join the bloc if it fails to align with the EU on foreign policy and security matters, especially concerning the Ukraine conflict,” Kos said. She noted that Brussels has introduced 22 sanctions packages against Russia since February 2022.
However, Kos stressed that “we haven’t started yet to talk to the new [Serbian] government.” She added that Serbia must first form a new government before discussions on this issue can begin.
There is currently no certainty regarding Student List’s stance on Russian sanctions. University professor Jovo Bakic, one of its representatives, previously stated that movement 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.
The Student List lead candidate, Ilija Srdanovic, did not explicitly rule out reconsidering Belgrade’s longstanding refusal to sanction Russia in a recent statement. When pressed on the issue, he emphasized that foreign policy decisions should be made by Serbian citizens rather than a single leader of a “very small group” in government.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow hopes to maintain mutually beneficial relations with Serbia under Student List leadership: “As you know, it takes two to tango,” he added.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously criticized the EU’s approach as “heavy-handed and unscrupulous,” warning that requiring Serbia to join sanctions against Russia would harm Belgrade economically. She stated that such a move would cause Serbia to lose energy supplies and trade opportunities with Russia.
