Serbian President Describes Western Sanctions on Russia As “Double-Edged Sword”
Jose Nino
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In an interview with Pink TV on January 8, 2023, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic compared sanctions imposed on Russia to a double-edged sword in an interview.
He indicated that there will be increased pressure on Serbia throughout 2023 about issues dealing with Kosovo and Metohija — a disputed region that has put Serbia in the international spotlight — and sanctions on Russia.
“It’s a double-edged sword. It’s not easy,” Vucic declared, making a reference to sanctions on Russia.
The Serbian president predicted that the sanctions will have a major impact throughout Europe and the rest of the globe.
“No one felt them too much this past year, but next winter will be much worse,” Vucic cautioned.
“If I’m told to impose sanctions [on Russia] tomorrow, maybe, I will have to [do it] under some bigger threat than pressure. To date, we have been a country that hasn’t done this for almost a year, showing its courage, decisiveness and independence in making decisions,” Vucic stated.
Russian state media outlet TASS noted that Vucic took a rather centrist position with regards to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Following the initiation of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, the Serbian government supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but opted to not impose sanctions on Russia.
Vucic views Russia and Ukraine as fraternal states and has lamented what has taken place in Ukraine. The Serbian president has announced that his country is prepared to supply humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
The Western Blob generally views Serbia as a steadfast ally of Russia due to their historically strong ties as Orthodox Christian, Slavic nations. In many respects, the NATO bombing of Serbia in the 1990s was an indirect message to Russia to not exercise any ambitious geopolitical projects and stay in line.
However, Serbia has taken a more balanced approach to foreign policy since the 1990s where it tries to court all foreign powers. Such a balanced path is almost unheard of in the fanatic Collective West. Either countries embrace so-called “liberal democracy” or get destabilized as a result.
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