BELGRADE, August 8. /TASS/. Serbia will continue its independent policy and will maintain good relations with the countries it is bound to by traditional ties of friendship, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday.

"The essence of our policy is a self-sufficient, independent Serbia, which is on its path to Europe, but which maintains ties with its traditional friends. We are making decisions, this is our policy, our position. We don’t want to take anyone else’s place, we want to be where we are," he said in a televised address to the nation.

He noted that the Serbs want to be "a European nation that is proud of its freedom and makes decisions on its own." "And even if we are the only ones who pursue such a policy, then, we will be the only ones who can do this," he noted.

He stressed that Serbia’s authorities have always taken an independent position on issues of sanctions against anyone and have never allowed any foreign interference into the country's domestic affairs.

"I am proud of our policy of honor, pride, and freedom. And believe me, this is the policy of the future. This will be the dominant trend in the world in the span of ten years, unlike the current policy of serving anyone else but one’s own people and one’s own homeland," Vucic added.

After the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Vucic said in an address to the nation that although Serbia supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, it will not impose sanctions against Russia. He also announced that Belgrade is suspending army and police drills with all foreign partners. He noted that Serbia considers Russia and Ukraine to be brotherly nations, regrets what is going on in Eastern Europe and is ready to offer humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.