The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that “Belgrade’s position in relation to Moscow will be more difficult” following the death of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. However, the Serbian leader dismissed the possibility of imposing sanctions on Russia.

Vučić told Prva television on February 18 that he did not want to speak about what happened to Navalny, who died in a prison in the Arctic, because he said, “I am not an investigating body”.

“I am not wiser than everyone else in the world who knows everything beforehand. That belongs to political analysts, not a president of the state. But the position will be more difficult for us, I have no doubt,” Vučić said.

He emphasized that Navalny’s death “has ignited a new fire”, adding that “it is tragic when a young person loses their life”.

Russian authorities said on February 16 that Kremlin critic Navalny fell ill and lost consciousness after walking in a prison in the Arctic, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence.

The European Union and the United States have held Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for his death, while the United Nations has called on Russian authorities to conduct credible investigations.

The President of Serbia also responded to why during his participation in the Security Conference in Munich on February 16, when the news of Navalny’s death was announced, he did not applaud when the Kremlin critic’s wife, Yulia, gave a speech.

“Suddenly, a woman sat next to me, and I had no idea who she was,” Vučić said.

Afterwards, according to him, the organizers of the Munich Conference called him on stage and introduced him.

“It was only then that I realized who the woman sitting next to me was. I would have expressed condolences, but I would have been mistaken, because only a few minutes later, she said that condolences should not be expressed,” Vučić said.

Vučić said that he attends international meetings to fight for his country, adding that he expects “there will be more pressure on Serbia to impose sanctions on Russia”.

Serbia has good relations with Russia, and despite calls from the international community to impose sanctions on Moscow because of the war in Ukraine, Belgrade has refused to sanction Russia.