Serbia and Russia: Continuity in a Changing Context?

What is Russia to Serbia? Is the country a centuries-old friend, an ally and honest mediator? Or is this in truth a subversive actor and someone who has selfish motives? The relationship between Serbia and Russia has been through phases of cooperation and reliance, but also distancing, when Belgrade was looking for allies in the West. Over the past 15 years, in the context of resolving the status of Kosovo with EU-mediated dialogue (2011–), Serbia’s political representatives have increasingly relied on Moscow’s political support and to some extent military backing, with Russia using this as leverage over Serbia’s political elites. The tension that was transferred from Russia’s relations with the West (Ukrainian crisis, sanctions regime, war in Syria, political crisis in Belarus) Belgrade had tried to overcome, facing less and less understanding in its relationship with the EU. Yet, at a time of increased international competition and confrontation, Serbia remains a country open for cooperation with Moscow.