Serbian president rejects calls for sanctions against Russia

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s president has said that the European Union’s calls for his country to join sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine represent “a brutal” interference in the Balkan state’s internal affairs. In his wide-ranging year-end address to the nation on Wednesday, Aleksandar Vucic praised his country’s economic and political achievements, comparing himself to a wolf who cannot be tamed under international pressure. Although formally seeking EU membership, Serbia has repeatedly ignored calls to align its foreign policies with the 27-nation bloc, including joining international sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine.