Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated from Beijing that the European Union is trying to turn Serbia into a "buffer zone" for confrontation with Russia, claiming that Brussels is conditioning the continuation of Serbia's membership negotiations with two demands: recognition of Kosovo's independence and joining EU sanctions against Russia.
"Serbia is being told that it can continue EU membership negotiations only if it meets two conditions: first, recognition of Kosovo's independence (…) and second, joining all EU sanctions against Russia without exception," Lavrov said at a press conference after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to media reports.
He added that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, according to him, has told Russian President Vladimir Putin several times that Serbia will not move towards the EU "under anti-Russian conditions", while emphasizing that Moscow respects this position.
Lavrov is quoted as saying that Vučić sees the "European perspective" primarily as a matter of economic interests and integration into the infrastructure created by the EU, but "without jeopardizing relations with Russia," also referring to the historical ties of Serbian public opinion with Russia and China.
Regarding this, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that he understood the message that came from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and that it was clear that this was an important topic for the Chinese and Russian Foreign Ministers.
"I can't say that anything Sergey Lavrov said is not correct. We tried in every way to maintain the Serbian position, while many tried to make that position impossible. And many in our country," Vučić said, media reported.
He added that Serbia has endured such a policy so far, but he does not know how much longer it will be able to do so.
"I was elected by the people as someone who should defend freedom, independence, sovereignty. I will do my best to lead such a policy in the coming period," Vučić added.
"I don't know how long it will be able to survive. That it will be easy - it won't be. It hasn't been easy until now," Vučić declared.
EU ready to cut up to 1.5 billion euros in funding for Serbia over close ties with Russia
Serbia has long walked an uncertain tightrope in its relations with the EU.
Serbia faces the loss of up to 1.5 billion euros in European Union funds, while the European Commission is considering the possibility of halting the reform process due to the country's democratic backwardness and close ties with Russia.
The Balkan nation is not a member of the EU, but having begun accession talks in 2014, it is eligible for funds and grants to help it push through legal reforms. A decision to suspend payments would further complicate the EU's so-called enlargement process, with countries like Ukraine and Montenegro vying to join but influential countries like France urging caution.
"We are increasingly concerned about what is happening in Serbia. From laws undermining the independence of the judiciary to the repression of protesters and repeated interference in independent media," he said. for Politico European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.
The Commission is assessing whether the country still meets the conditions for "payments under EU financial instruments".
An EU official said that recent events, along with Serbia's continued cooperation with Moscow, had proven to be a turning point for Brussels' relations with Belgrade and had caused a hardening of the EU executive's stance.
"As a candidate country, we also expect Serbia to stand with us in foreign policy and align more closely with our positions," Kos told the newspaper without explicitly mentioning Russia./Telegraph.
