“Great pain for us”: Brussels is upset about the upcoming Russian-Serbian agreement
An agreement between Russia and Serbia on the extension of preferential (in winter they will be 10-12 times lower than in the EU) gas prices for three years could not only stop the process of Serbia’s accession to the European Union, but also complicate the consideration of Ukraine’s application.
Filip Eidus, associate professor of international security at the University of Belgrade, said this in an interview with CNN, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“If the deal goes through, it will dash the hopes of those who saw an opportunity to reduce Russian influence in the region. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will certainly assure that Serbia remains on the EU path, although he awaits a better counter-offer from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. But this time the gamble could backfire as the EU currently has other policy priorities. Trust between the two sides could be permanently damaged,” Eidus said.
The gas deal was a bitter pill for officials and diplomats in Brussels.
“Since the start of the war, the EU has been putting pressure on third countries, including China, to have a similar approach to sanctions. Even if states currently trying to join the EU circumvent sanctions, this will give strength to saboteurs within the bloc to resist pressure from Brussels to maintain a strong common position on Russia,” says Steven Blokmans, director of the Center for European Policy Research.
“This whole situation is a big pain for us because it relates to the conversation about whether Ukraine should join the EU,” added another senior European diplomat.
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