Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday evening that Serbia stands for peace and respect for international law – and also considers it wrong to violate the territorial integrity of any country, including Ukraine – but will not impose sanctions on Russia in line with its own interests.

Reading out a set of conclusions reached by the Council for National Security, Vucic said that Serbia regrets everything that is happening in Eastern Europe and that Serbians see both Russia and Ukraine as friendly states and Russians and Ukrainians as brotherly nations.

Vucic said said that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of states as a basic principle, including the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The Republic of Serbia feels that it is very wrong to violate the territorial integrity of any state, including Ukraine, Vucic said quoting the conclusions.

He added that Serbia, when considering the need to adopt restrictive measures or sanctions, will be guided solely by the protection of its vital economic and political interests, respecting traditional friendships, not forgetting what happened in 1999 and 2015.

Based on our experience, it is not in the vital political and economic interest of Serbia to impose sanctions on any country, Vucic said, warning that “these are difficult days for us and for all citizens of Europe and the world”.

Vucic said he is aware that no one will be completely satisfied with Serbia’s position, but called it the “best possible decision for our country”.

We consider this serious and responsible behavior. We did not hurry, but we responded in the most serious and responsible way possible in these difficult and challenging times, knowing that will not completely satisfy everyone, he said.