BELGRADE, October 31. /TASS/. Belgrade's rejection of the sanctions policy against Russia and the lack of progress in normalizing relations with Pristina are the two main obstacles to Serbia joining the EU, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"To be quite frank, what you have heard from Ursula now is that we have problems with EU accession. I am grateful to her for putting it so gently. I do not hide this from our people; I think they and everyone else know about this. For starters, there is our disconnect with European foreign policy in terms of not imposing sanctions against Russia. The other issue is the situation with Pristina and our relations with them," Vucic said.

"The two biggest obstacles for us at the moment are Kosovo and Metohija and sanctions against Russia," the Serbian leader concluded.

Earlier, the president emphasized that Serbia's independent position and refusal to join the sanctions policy against Russia allowed the republic to strengthen its reputation as a free and independent country. Vucic noted that due to the pressure on the sanctions issue, the situation is very tense and getting more and more complicated. He promised to let citizens know when Serbia finds itself in a position where it cannot refrain from imposing sanctions.