Russian Ambassador thankful for Serbia's distancing from Western sanctions

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandar Botsan-Kharchenko said that Russia is grateful to Belgrade for its "principled stance on distancing" from “illegitimate anti-Russian restrictions or sanctions introduced by the USA and Western countries.”

"Of course, it would be unfair - and wrong, given that we have friendly relations with Serbia based on trust - not to say that the revision of this line would disappoint us," Harchenko said.

Answering the question of whether Moscow could "trade" Kosovo in exchange for Donbass and other territories, he said that these statements "have nothing to do with reality" and that there cannot be any question of "trade".

"Russia's position on the issue of Kosovo is principled and consistent, independent of the conjuncture. We are committed to achieving a sustainable, mutually acceptable solution between Belgrade and Pristina, in international legal coordinates, based on Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council," said Harchenko.