A Referendum on Imposing Sanctions on Russia Could Be Held in Serbia

The question of Serbia possibly joining sanctions against Russia may be put to a nationwide referendum. This possibility was suggested by Ilija Srdanović, a representative of the Student List, reports the Serbian outlet Parametar on 8 November 2026.

According to Srdanović, key foreign policy decisions should be taken with public opinion in mind, rather than being determined by a single politician or a narrow group of officials.
The proposal was made against the backdrop of preparations to form a new government of Serbia after the early parliamentary elections on 25 October, which were won by the “Student List”.

At the same time, there is as yet no official decision to hold a referendum. Neither the possible date of the vote nor the wording of the question proposed to be put to citizens has been determined.
Earlier, representatives of the “Student List” spoke out against imposing sanctions on Russia. In a statement of 30 September, they stressed the need to maintain Belgrade’s current policy.

At the same time, European integration remains one of the declared foreign policy priorities of the “Student List”. The European Union expects Serbia to gradually align its foreign policy with that of the EU as a whole, including sanctions measures against Russia.

The situation is complicated by Belgrade’s economic and energy ties with Moscow. Russia remains an important partner of Serbia in natural gas supplies, and Russian participation in the capital of the oil company NIS continues to be of significant importance for the country’s energy sector.

As Parametar notes, the “Student List” representative Radomir Saičić earlier announced negotiations by the future government in Moscow on a long-term gas agreement. At the same time, contacts with Washington are planned on the issue of American sanctions against NIS.

Experts draw attention to the difficulties of a possible referendum. In particular, political scientist Ognjen Gogić notes that the EU’s sanctions policy includes various types of restrictions on individuals, enterprises and individual sectors of the economy. Therefore, formulating a single question for the vote may prove to be a difficult task.

Under Serbian law, a nationwide referendum is called by the National Assembly. Holding it requires compliance with the established procedure and the adoption of a relevant decision by parliament.
Thus, a possible referendum on sanctions against Russia remains for now a political initiative. It is also unknown how its results could affect Serbia’s further negotiations on accession to the European Union.

Source: Parametar.rs — Studentska lista najavila mogućnost referenduma o sankcijama Rusiji, 8 November 2026.

Source: Open4Business (open4business.com.ua), https://open4business.com.ua/u-serbiyi-mozhut-provesty-referendum-shhodo-vvedennya-sankczij-proty-rosiyi/