Ukraine's Ambassador in Belgrade Oleksandr Aleksandrovych says Serbia's vote against a UN resolution on Crimea "could return like a boomerang."

"There's an English expression - 'to shoot yourself in the foot'. I believe that is exactly what Serbia has done with such a vote, because at some point in the future, such a decision may come back like a boomerang in your efforts to keep Kosovo. I don't understand why you are doing this," Aleksandrovych has told the Belgrade-based newspaper Blic.

Former Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle told an audience today (7 December) that if the EU distances itself from the Western Balkans, other geopolitical players will immediately seize the opportunity to assert their influence over the region.

The ex-Commissioner, who now works as a special envoy to the Balkans for the Czech ministry of foreign affairs, spoke to the BALKANS – boosting connections on the road to the EU conference, organised by the Friends of Europe, a Brussels think tank.

Experts estimate for daily Danas that the election of the new president of the United States, Donald Trump, unlikely leads to a radical change in foreign policy of Russia, including changing attitudes of Kremlin towards Serbia.

Commenting on the recent statements of some Ukrainian officials that it is possible that Russia will recognize the independence of Kosovo in talks with the United States in order to maintain its power in the Crimea, the familiar with the situation say that such a scenario is unrealistic.

Kosovo is demonstrating functional non-viability as a state, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

Belgrade will make maximum efforts in its dialogue Pristina - "but we will not give Serbia away - not for anything," SPS leader Ivica Dacic has said.

Dacic, who serves as the first deputy prime minister and foreign minister, spoke at a party event on Sunday, noting that there was "absolute agreement" with PM Aleksandar Vucic when it comes to this policy.

Ivica Dacic on Friday denied the claims that Serbia failed to open any new EU accession negotiations chapters in October because of Russia.

The foreign minister added that new chapters will be opened "when there has been is progress in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue."

As many as one third of EU members are blocking the continuation of the procedures for the opening of Chapter 31 in Serbia's accession negotiations.

The Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti writes this on Thursday.

Chapter 31 relates to foreign policy and security, and taking the leading role among those blocking it are Germany, Great Britain and the countries of the former Warsaw Pact - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania, said the article.

For a couple of days last month, uninformed tourists visiting Serbia could easily have believed that the country is a Russian outpost.