BELGRADE, January 23. /TASS/. Europe is, in fact, in a state of war, no matter what politicians on the continent may say, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday.

"Europe is de facto in a state of war, whatever they may say. There is no more tolerance <…>. And they want their backyard - and the Western Balkans, and, naturally, Serbia are their backyard, and they want to have things the way they want them here," he said in an address to the nation.

According to the Serbian leader, the West has intensified its pressure on Serbia after the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.

Vucic said earlier that the conflict in Ukraine is a world war where the West is fighting against Russia by means of Ukrainian soldiers. He noted that the situation in Ukraine is impacting the Balkans and vowed that Serbia will spare no effort to preserve peace in the region.