Serbia faces sanctions on Russian oil, Vučić and Brnabić blame Croatia!

(Patria) - European Union member states voted for the eighth package of sanctions against Russia, which includes capping the prices of Russian oil exported to third countries. Following the adoption of this decision, Serbia will not be able to import oil from Russia via Janaf, which effectively extends the sanctions imposed on Moscow to Serbia.

The initial proposal by the European Commission foresaw an exemption regarding supplies from the Adriatic Pipeline, but this proposal was rejected at the insistence of certain EU member states, based on the stance that there is no justification for Serbia to be exempted, writes Nova.rs.

Serbia is not imposing sanctions on Russia, therefore it should not benefit from a derogation. Other EU member states agreed with this position, said a diplomatic source involved in the talks on the new sanctions package, reports Radio Free Europe.

This decision has shocked the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, who believes, as stated, that Croatia is most responsible for the blockade imposed on Serbia.

According to announcements, Vučić is expected to address this issue, and the main reason for the Serbian President's dissatisfaction with the EU decision is that Bulgaria, where Russian Lukoil operates, received preferential treatment, i.e., an exemption.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, speaking about the imposition of sanctions on Serbia, said that this decision changed everything.

“I said that the president would be under enormous pressure. Today, after this shameful decision by the European Union, Vučić will give a strong response to the sanctions that Croatia insisted on, that they exclude some member states from the sanctions package, but that they do it to Serbia at the explicit request of Croatia. Hundreds of millions of euros are being taken out of our country’s pockets,” Ana Brnabić said on TV Happy.

In her opinion, Croatia requested the sanctions, “and boasts about it,” because Serbia is seeking punishment for those responsible for the crime near Bosanski Petrovac in August 1995.