"I hope that Serbia will endure. We are kinfolk"

That West imposed sanctions on Russia.
"We can see it and we know what kind of political wisdom and resilience President [Aleksandar] Vucic has to show. We know how he has to look for subtle balances. We also hope that Serbia is strong enough, is sovereign enough not to join the ranks of the mainstream collective West," the Kremlin spokesman said for ATV.
He pointed out that Moscow cares a lot about relations with Belgrade, and that these relations are not based on the principle of mutual benefit.
"We cherish our relationship with Belgrade very much. It is a relationship that is not only based on the principles of mutual benefit, but it has very old historical roots, religious roots, we are very close, we are kinfolk. However, we are also aware that much more pressure is being put on them than on Republic of Srpska," Peskov said.
He added that Serbia is a sovereign state and that Russia has nothing against its relations with Western countries.
"We believe that nothing, no cooperation with Western or other countries should be an obstacle to the continued development of our relations. That is the most important thing for us," said Peskov.
"They are our friends, they are our sisters and brothers, they are our partners, they are our strategic partners," he said.
Speaking about the position of the Republic of Srpska, the Kremlin spokesman pointed out that Moscow appreciates the firm stance of "Serbian friends who are really consistently acting in order to maintain good relations between the Russian Federation and Banja Luka".
He added that these relations will continue to develop and will only strengthen in all areas.
"We know what kind of pressure there is inside Bosnia and Herzegovina, what kind of external...