Serbian leader Aleksandar Vučić stated Tuesday that Serbia will continue resisting pressure to impose sanctions on Russia, speaking in an interview published by Ksenia Sobchak, the daughter of Vladimir Putin’s former political mentor. He claimed the opposition would introduce sanctions within 10 days of taking power and recalled a conversation in which Putin questioned his decision to resign. Vučić defended Serbia’s foreign policy as independent of both Moscow and Western powers, while warning that escalating global tensions could lead to a wider war. Ahead of Serbia’s October 25 parliamentary elections, Vučić accused foreign powers of pouring hundreds of millions or even billions of euros into NGOs and media outlets to destabilize Serbia and overthrow its government, though he presented no evidence. He portrayed the mass protests sparked by the 2024 Novi Sad railway station disaster, which killed 16 people, as an attempt to seize power without elections. The student-led demonstrations have since grown into a nationwide anti-corruption movement, posing a major challenge to his ruling Serbian Progressive Party. Vučić expressed confidence in an electoral victory that would allow him to return as prime minister.