Kos: Serbia cannot make progress on its European path without imposing sanctions on Russia

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has said that Serbia will not be able to make progress on its European path unless it imposes sanctions on Russia, Novosti reports.

“It will not be possible for a country that does not align with us on matters of strategic interest, such as foreign and security policy and the joint fight against Russia, particularly in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, to make progress. That will be very, very difficult,” Kos said.

Marta Kos was responding to a question about whether Serbia could join the EU if it did not impose sanctions on Russia, noting that the EU had not yet begun talks with Serbia’s new government.

“First, they need to form a new government, and then we will see how and whether we can move forward in this area,” Kos said.

In recent days, the European Commissioner held talks with Ilija Srdanovic, the lead candidate on the Student List, and said that the EU was ready to support Serbia’s new government on its European path.

In early October, while presenting the European Commission’s plan to prepare the EU for future enlargement before the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, she said that Serbia would have to deliver more results.

“We will see how serious their government is after the elections, whether they will merely talk about wanting to become a member or actually work towards that goal, particularly in terms of strategic alignment and alignment with the common foreign and security policy,” Marta Kos said at the time.