Dragan Đilas, president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) and lead candidate on the “European Serbia” electoral list, has said that the list would impose sanctions on Russia if given the opportunity to do so, arguing that Serbia must make a clear choice between European integration and maintaining close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Citizens face the clearest choice in our modern history. There is no longer room for political maneuvering and sitting on two chairs, a policy that has been dragging Serbia to the bottom of Europe for years. The choice is clear: either Europe or Putin’s regime,” Đilas said in a statement released by the SSP.
He accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić of being willing to isolate the country to maintain his hold on power and preserve Putin’s support. Đilas also criticized other political actors who have ruled out imposing sanctions on the Kremlin.
According to Đilas, refusing to align Serbia’s foreign policy with the European Union would continue to obstruct the country’s European integration and contribute to economic uncertainty and international isolation.
He argued that such a policy would leave young people with fewer opportunities for European education and freedom of movement, while prolonging what he described as a lack of prospects for Serbian citizens.
Đilas said that European integration would be an “uncompromising priority” for the “European Serbia” list, rather than the interests of the Russian leadership.
“European Serbia will immediately introduce sanctions against Russia and fully align its foreign policy with the European Union,” he said, adding that the issue was not one of emotion but of national survival.
“The choice has never been simpler: Vučić’s isolation and continued uncertainty, or European Serbia, which offers dignity, stability and a secure future,” Đilas concluded.
His remarks place Serbia’s relationship with the EU and Russia at the center of the “European Serbia” list’s campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections.
