Serbia

Serbia is a Balkan republic and EU candidate state that occupies a dual position in European geopolitics: it has maintained close ties with Russia, refused to impose EU sanctions, and repeatedly declined to align its diplomatic orbit with Ukraine aid coordination. Belgrade hosts the TurkStream overland transit route and signed a long-term gas supply deal with Gazprom that predates the 2022 invasion. Its EU membership process has stalled partly on the issue of sanctions alignment. President Aleksandar Vucic has so FAR refused to choose between Brussels and Moscow.

Explosives were found near TurkStream pipeline infrastructure on Serbian territory on 5 April 2026, identified by Serbia's Military Security Agency as US-made. Serbia's VOA explicitly cleared Ukraine, but declined to attribute the operation to any government. The incident exposed Serbia's strategic exposure as the primary overland route for Russian gas destined for Hungary and southern Europe.

The TurkStream incident brought the infrastructure dimension of the Russia-Ukraine conflict directly into Serbian territory. Belgrade faces pressure from both Brussels, which expects sanctions alignment as part of EU accession, and Moscow, which regards Serbia as a reliable transit partner.

On 16 July 2026, Thailand placed Serbia in a new 65-country Visa-on-arrival tier under a restructured three-tier Visa-exemption scheme, alongside Azerbaijan and Belarus, part of a wider reshuffle that also created a 30-day tier for all 27 EU states and a 15-day tier for Mauritius and Seychelles. The announcements await Royal Gazette publication before taking effect.