US State Department adviser Derek Scholle, during talks in Belgrade with Serbian President Oleksandr Vucic, called on the country to join sanctions against its traditional ally - Russia.

 "We believe that the country (Serbia - ed.) should join the sanctions, and the reason why we believe so is that Russia's actions should not only be condemned, but also punished," he said.

 Scholle emphasized that Russia "wages a brutal, unjustified war against Ukraine every day", so the countries need to unite and make sure that this behavior of the aggressor country is unacceptable.

 A State Department adviser this week began a tour of several Balkan countries on a visit focused on international efforts to help normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia after weeks of heightened tensions. The former Serbian province declared independence in 2008, which Serbia and Russia do not recognize