Vucic’s “NO” to Scholz

Olaf Scholz and Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade (BetaPhoto/Milos Miskov)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz brought two unpleasant messages to his hosts in Belgrade last week: one, that Serbia must join the EU’s sanctions against Russia, and two, that membership in the Union will not be possible without recognition of Kosovo’s independence. Scholz, however, received a strong response from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who told a joint press conference that he would neither impose sanctions against Russia nor recognize Kosovo’s independence. The reason for Vucic’s unexpectedly hardline stance is the fact that Berlin has nothing to offer Serbia in return.