U.S. Ambassador to Belgrade: Washington, EU Expecting Serbia To Join Sanctions against Russia

Christopher Hill(Commons.wikimedia.org /Chatham House)

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill has said that Washington and the EU are expecting Serbia to join the sanctions against Russia, stressing that Belgrade should “rethink” if it believes that Russia will help Serbia in resolving the Kosovo issue.  

In an interview with Voice of America (VoA) on May 1, Hill, who assumed ambassadorial post in Belgrade a month ago, said that Serbia was making a decision on sanctions independently and without pressure, but he did not reveal whether there would be any consequences on Serbia-U.S. relations if Belgrade’s position on sanctions against Russia remained unchanged.

Hill also said that “Washington’s message to Serbia is that it is not the question of whether you are heading toward the East or the West, but there is only one direction and it is up to Serbia to decide how fast it wishes to get there.” He also stressed that “now, Russia can hardly be a role model, it is not a country you would wish for a friend or an ally.”

The ambassador further said that from the EU and the U.S. point of view, Serbia should behave as an EU member and join the sanctions against Russia, noting it was clear that this was the policy of Brussels and Washington and that Serbia should consider it.

Asked to comment on certain experts’ opinion that the Kosovo issue was a major source of Russian influence in Serbia, while Serbian officials often claim that Moscow has been protecting Serbia’s interests in relation to Kosovo in the U.N. Security Council, Hill said he “has not seen anything implying that Russia protects anyone but Mr. (Vladimir) Putin.”