OREANDA-NEWS The US and the European Union are putting unprecedented pressure on Serbia to force Belgrade to forgo good relations with Russia in favor of integration with the West. Director of the Fourth European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Yuri Pilipson stated this in an interview with TASS.

According to him, the Russian Federation aims to deepen the bilateral strategic partnership with Serbia, which is in the fundamental national interests of both countries.

Pilipson stressed that the West is playing "an unscrupulous game", which indicates the final rebirth of the European political "club". The diplomat also expressed the opinion that Brussels no longer wants to grant membership in the European Union to other countries.

“A number of EU countries actively oppose the entry of post-Yugoslav states into the EU, lobbying for a tougher methodology for negotiations with candidates,” Pilipson said.

Regarding Serbia's accession to the European Union, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that most of the states of the organization directly link its fate with the "comprehensive normalization" of relations with Pristina, insisting on Belgrade's recognition of Kosovo's independence. Serbia emphasizes that it will not take such a step.

Earlier, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic accused the EU countries of hypocrisy because of the situation in Ukraine. As she noted, since the beginning of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, Serbia has been in “an even more difficult situation because of the really huge hypocrisy of a large number of EU countries and some other countries” that have recognized Kosovo.