US Senators Chris Murphy, Jeanne Shaheen and Tom Tillis said Serbia should harmonize its foreign policy with that of the European Union. During a press conference in Belgrade on April 19, they stressed that at this historic moment it is important that all democratic countries in Europe send a clear message to Russia and hold it accountable for its actions in Ukraine. 

Senator Jeanne Shaheen said that in the meeting with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, they also talked about the imposition of sanctions by Serbia on Russia. 

"We talked about this and I am sure we will continue to talk, I think we have presented our positions," said the senator. 

Senator Chris Murphy said they conveyed to Serbian President Vucic their intention to build a community of democracies that would condemn the Russian occupation of Ukraine. 

"We understand the historical ties between Serbia and Russia. We continue to support Serbia on its path to EU membership and stand by the people of Serbia in this process. We came to Serbia to strengthen the good relations that the country has with the United States," Murphy said. 

Speaking about the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, which has stalled, as there have been no high-level meetings since July 2021, Senator Murphy said he was deeply disappointed that there was no progress in that process. 

Meanwhile, in a meeting with US senators, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that improving co-operation with the US is one of Serbia's foreign policy priorities. 

Vuçiç talked with the senators of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Murphy, Jeanne Shaheen, as well as with the member of the Senate Committee for the Armed Forces, Thom Tillis, among others, about the bilateral cooperation between Serbia and the US , was announced by the Presidency of Serbia. 

"The trade exchange will reach $ 1.2 billion this year, which shows significant progress in our economic relations," Vucic said, adding that Serbia hopes to further intensify various forms of co-operation and implement specific projects of mutual interest."

According to the statement, Vucic thanked the senators for "the continued support that Washington offers to Serbia, on its path to full membership in the European Union." "This is one of our primary foreign policy goals and Serbia's strategic commitment," Vucic said. 

The topics of the meeting were, as it was said, Serbia's European integration, the situation in the region, energy, but also the crisis in Ukraine. 

Vucic said that Serbia is committed to respecting the principles of international law, territorial integrity and political independence of states, as evidenced by the vote of the Republic of Serbia in the United Nations General Assembly and other international organizations. 

Speaking about the region, he stressed that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Republika Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

He stressed that for Serbia it is of key interest to maintain stability in the region and strengthen cooperation in all areas, especially in the field of economy, "because only such a region enables the sustainable development of Serbia itself." 

He mentioned, as an example of successful regional cooperation, the "Open Balkans" initiative, the purpose of which, as stated in the statement, is the further development of the region and raising living standards for all its citizens. 

Earlier on Tuesday, the US Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, received the senators at the "Nikola Tesla" airport. 

"Serbia has a vital role to play in the progress and prosperity of the region. "The United States stands ready to support stronger ties between Serbia and its European Union neighbours," Hill wrote on his social media account.