European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos stated on Tuesday that Serbia must impose sanctions on Russia to join the European Union.

This requirement was spelled out by Kos just days after Serbia’s opposition Student List movement secured 52.5% of the vote in a 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 stance he had consistently maintained due to key trading and cultural ties with Russia.

In her statement, Kos emphasized that the EU demands “strategic alignment” from potential members as part of its pre-accession review. “Probably, it will not be possible” for a country to join the bloc if it does not align with the EU on foreign policy and security matters, particularly regarding the Ukraine conflict,” she said.

Kos noted that discussions with Serbia’s new government have not yet begun: “We haven’t started yet to talk to the new [Serbian] government. So, first, they will have to have a new government and then we’ll see how we’ll be able to move in this field or not.”

The EU has introduced 22 sanctions packages against Russia since February 2022.

On Serbia’s position regarding Russia sanctions, university professor Jovo Bakic, a Student List representative, told reporters that the movement respects Russia as both a great power and historically important partner. He argued that any restrictions imposed by “small Serbia” would have little effect on Moscow but would be “symbolically very bad” for Belgrade. Meanwhile, Student List lead candidate Ilija Srdanovic did not rule out reconsidering Serbia’s longstanding refusal to sanction Russia. When pressed on the issue, he stated that foreign policy should be decided by “the citizens of Serbia” rather than a single leader of a “very small group of people” in government.

Russian officials have also responded. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed hope for maintaining mutually beneficial relations with Serbia under the Student List leadership, adding: “As you know, it takes two to tango.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the EU’s approach, calling its efforts to drive a wedge between Moscow and Belgrade “heavy-handed” and unscrupulous. She warned that making Serbia join sanctions against Russia would harm the country by cutting off energy supplies and trade opportunities.