Serbia fully supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and considers the Russian invasion "very wrong" but will not impose sanctions against Russia, the Balkan country's president said Friday.

Russian president Vladimir Putin's decision to attack Ukraine has triggered worldwide condemnations, including throughout the Western Balkans.

"Republic of Serbia ... considers breach of territorial integrity of any country wrong, including Ukraine", President Aleksandar Vucic said in a televised press conference.

Serbia -- an aspiring member of the European Union which at the same time nurtures strong ties with Moscow -- had kept silent since the Russian invasion started.

Both Slavic and predominantly Orthodox Christian, Serbs and Russians have shared fraternal relations for centuries.

Some 83 percent of Serbian citizens believe Moscow is a "friend" of Belgrade, according to a 2021 poll by Institute for European Affairs.

Russia also controls the Balkan country's oil industry and wields the power of veto that effectively blocks recognition of Serbia's breakaway region of Kosovo in the United Nations.

Kosovo declared independence after NATO carried out a bombing campaign in 1999 -- the alliance's first intervention against a sovereign state -- which effectively ended the war between Serbia and ethnic Albanian guerillas.

Vucic, who is facing a general election in April -- stopped short of imposing sanctions against Russia, citing national interests and fears of a Russian diplomatic backlash.

"Do you think it is possible to impose sanctions on Russia overnight, the same Russia that never imposed sanctions against us?", Vucic said.

"We do that (impose sanctions), and tomorrow there is no Resolution 1244, there is nothing," he added, evoking the 1999 UN resolution that does not mention Kosovo's full independence.

Vucic has been successfully juggling Serbia's relations with Eastern and Western powers for years, scoring substantial financial aid from the EU alongside major business deals with China.

Critics and rights groups have accused Vucic -- but also Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik -- of eroding democracy, including curbing media freedoms and undermining institutions in a similar manner to Moscow.

'Punish Russia': Sanctions imposed on Moscow over Ukraine invasion
Washington (AFP) Feb 25, 2022 - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted a wave of sanctions as global leaders seek to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin.

As Russia's military closes in on Kyiv and Ukrainian refugees pour into neighboring countries, here are some of the sanctions heaped on Moscow so far.

- United States -

On Friday, US President Joe Biden extended his country's measures against Russia to include sanctions on President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, including a travel ban for the two statesmen.

Biden was the first world leader to announce sanctions, hours after Putin declared a "military operation" into Ukraine.

The first tranche will hit four Russian banks, cut off more than half of Russia's technology imports, and target several of the country's oligarchs.

Energy giant Gazprom and 12 other major companies will be barred from raising capital in Western financial markets.

Defense and aeronautics technology exports to Russia are also restricted, and 24 Belarusian individuals and organizations accused of supporting and aiding the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine will face penalties.

- European Union -

The European Union added Putin and Lavrov to its sanctions list as well on Friday.

The step was agreed in an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels held to adopt a broad package of sanctions on Russia that the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called the "harshest" ever drawn up by the group.

The package, approved by EU leaders in an overnight summit, hammers Russia's financial, energy and transport sectors, and curb the ability of Russians to keep large amounts of cash in EU banks.

It also expands the number of Russians on the EU's list of sanctioned individuals barred from entering the bloc's 27 countries and whose EU assets are blocked.

- Britain -

The UK government as well ordered all assets of Putin and Lavrov frozen and banned oligarch jets from its airspace on Friday.

The Treasury issued a financial sanctions notice against the two men, adding them to a list of Russian oligarchs who have already had their property and bank accounts in the UK frozen.

Previously, Britain had frozen the assets of Russian bank VTB and arms manufacturer Rostec, and had also banned Russia's flagship carrier Aeroflot from its airspace, in addition to targeting five more oligarchs close to Putin.

- Canada -

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed other world leaders Friday, also imposing sanctions on Putin and Lavrov.

Trudeau additionally signaled "Canada's support to remove Russia from the SWIFT payment system, a critical part of the global banking system."

And he said Belarus too would be sanctioned "for abetting President Putin's invasion of a free and sovereign nation."

New sanction aimed at punishing Putin and Lavrov's inner circle will target nearly 60 individuals and entities, including members of the elite, security officials, banks, and the shadowy Russian private security firm the Wagner group.

Export permits for goods worth $550 million in aerospace, information technology and mining have been canceled.

- Asia-Pacific -

Reactions across the Asia-Pacific were not as united.

India, which has close ties with Moscow and is a major purchaser of Russian weapons, has so far refrained from joining the sanctions.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida criticized Putin's attempts to "change the status quo by force," and imposed measures targeting exports of semiconductors -- currently undergoing a global shortage -- and financial institutions.

Neighboring Taiwan announced it would join in sanctions as the Kremlin's actions pose "the most serious threat... to the rules-based international order."

In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveiled a "second phase" of sanctions targeting 25 individuals, four financial institutions, and entities involved in developing and selling military gear.

Another wave would be imposed once "those responsible for these egregious acts" are identified, he said, which could include targeting members of Russia's parliament.

Morrison also lashed out at China's response after Beijing said it understood Moscow's "reasonable concerns" on Ukraine and announced it would increase Russian wheat imports.

"You don't go to throw a lifeline to Russia in the middle of a period when they are invading another country," he said.

burs-dhc/bfm/bgs

Related Links
Global Trade News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

'Punish Russia': Sanctions imposed on Moscow over Ukraine invasion
Washington (AFP) Feb 25, 2022
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted a wave of sanctions as global leaders seek to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin. As Russia's military closes in on Kyiv and Ukrainian refugees pour into neighboring countries, here are some of the sanctions heaped on Moscow so far. - United States - US President Joe Biden was the first to announce sanctions, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a "military operation" into Ukraine. The first tranche will hit four Russian banks - ... read more