European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen cancelled talks with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. The reason was Vucevic's previous meeting with Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov.
"We cancelled the meeting after the prime minister's meeting with the Russian economy minister," EU ambassador to Belgrade Emanuele Gioffre told AFP.
Vucevic spoke with Reshetnikov about further strengthening economic and overall cooperation between the two countries.
The Serbian government statement said that the prime minister, speaking about sanctions against Russia, said that "despite great pressure" Serbia was pursuing a free and independent policy and that it had good cooperation with Russia, the European Union, China and other countries.
Von der Leyen arrived in Belgrade as part of a four-day tour of the Western Balkans and discussed Serbia's European path with President Aleksandar Vucic. | BGNES
