"Serbia 'captured in a warm embrace' with Russia 

Official Belgrade once again has not aligned its foreign policy with the European Union by not accepting the latest package of sanctions against Russia and North Korea, whereas all other EU membership candidate countries have done so. Interlocutors of Danas believe this demonstrates Serbia's abandonment of the European path, while simultaneously remaining in the "embrace of authoritarian authorities in Moscow."

As reported by Radio Free Europe, Serbia did not align with the latest package of sanctions from the European Union against Russia and North Korea, thereby remaining the only EU membership candidate country that has not harmonized its foreign policy with that of the EU.
The fourteenth package of sanctions against Russia was adopted on June 24th and includes six additional individuals and entities believed to be responsible for North Korea's programs related to nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, or other weapons of mass destruction, as well as individuals or entities acting on their behalf or under their instructions, or entities owned or controlled by them.
Citing the names of countries that have aligned with EU sanctions against Russia, the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, stated that "the European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it."
Among these countries are North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Iceland and Liechtenstein.
As Radio Free Europe reminds, Serbia has not aligned itself with sanctions following the Russian annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, nor with sanctions against North Korea.
The refusal of Serbia to align its foreign policy with the EU has resulted in the freezing of accession negotiations, despite Serbia being considered a leader alongside Montenegro in European integration efforts in the Western Balkans.

"Serbia has given up on EU membership"
Natan Albahari, a member of the presidency of the Movement of Free Citizens, believes that Serbia's failure to align with the EU's foreign policy demonstrates that Serbia has clearly given up on membership.
"Most visibly, this can be seen in the regression of democracy and the rule of law, as well as the lack of alignment with European foreign and security policy," explains Albahari.
He argues that Serbia remains "captured in the embrace" of autocratic rule in Russia while the rest of the region moves full speed ahead towards Europe.

As our interlocutor notes, this has been reiterated multiple times in resolutions of the European Parliament, reports from the European Commission, and by parliamentarians of the majority of EU member states, whose support is necessary for Serbia to progress in the accession process.
"Only a change in government can return Serbia to a sincere European path and ensure a better long-term future for our citizens," concludes Albahari.

"We managed to upset both the EU and Russia."

Duško Lopandić, President of the Forum for International Relations, argues that Serbia's foreign policy juggles in such a way that it manages to upset both EU countries and Russia simultaneously, despite the lack of apparent benefits from such a policy.
"Although in practice Serbia closely cooperates with NATO and assists Ukraine, this is hidden from the public," says Lopandić.
Such actions, our interlocutor concludes, leave an impression of unreliability both domestically and internationally.

Non-alignment is "pure dilettantism"
Director of the Institute for European Affairs Naim Leo Beširi believes that Serbia's non-alignment with EU foreign policy is characteristic of Aleksandar Vučić's government and reflects the gap between the government's declarative desire to implement reforms on the path to EU membership and its actual actions on the ground.
"The hasty departure of a high-ranking Moscow official from Belgrade earlier this month may suggest that Belgrade and Moscow are not on good terms, especially since the reports by American media about nearly a billion euros worth of ammunition sold by Serbia, which ended up in Kiev's hands in the fight against Russian aggression," says Beširi.
Our interlocutor points out that many suggest that good relations with Russia are staged for domestic audiences when right-wing votes are needed, while true relations with Moscow are almost nonexistent, as seen during Vučić's visit to Putin when relations appeared strained.
"On the other hand, balancing between East and West has not succeeded for anyone, and it won't for Vučić either, because as long as he presents himself as an unreliable partner without a clear and transparent strategy, Serbia will not progress towards EU membership, and he is heading towards another historical misstep leading to isolation," explains Beširi.
He believes that Vučić's "trickery" does not fool EU leaders, as all EU membership candidates align completely with Brussels in every case.

"Changes in leadership in EU member states, Britain, and the arrival of the new EU foreign affairs chief, Estonian Prime Minister Kalas, will show the first clear consequences of the unconvincing policy of sitting on multiple chairs," argues Beširi.
However, as Beširi claims, Vučić will resist these pressures with threats of violence and an unorganized opposition that also lacks a clear policy towards Kosovo.
On the other hand, Beširi concludes, non-alignment with measures against Pyongyang is pure dilettantism.