By putting Serbia in the position to choose "either with Russia or the West", the European Union is making the same mistake that has led to the Ukrainian crisis, disrupting society in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned.

In an interview with Euronews TV, Lavrov said Serbia has extremely good relations with the EU and NATO, and there is also a free trade agreement with Russia, negotiations have started to enter the Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Area and it has contacts with The Organization of the Collective Security Treaty.

"I think this is an absolutely normal way to develop Serbia's external relations," Lavrov said. But good relations with Russia can be violated if Serbia joins the European Union, because in order to join the community, the Balkan state must adopt the Union's foreign policy. Several years ago, the EU imposed sanctions on Russia for the annexation of the Crimea. Among the conditions for Serbia's accession to the EU is recognition of Kosovo.

"In the modern world, such ultimatums are extremely uncharacteristic and do not fit into a structure like the EU." If you look at the Balkans, there is no country where US and European ambassadors do not insist on ending friendship with Russia, "the Russian minister said.

Lavrov expressed hope that the West had seen the mistakes they made with Ukraine, especially considering that in this country the president is not currently ruling, but there is a "radical military stream."

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