What’s the point of European countries slapping sanctions on Russia if not every European country is on board? That’s a question EU leaders will have to grapple with following news that Serbia’s president secured an “extremely favorable” natural gas deal with Russia during a telephone conversation Sunday with Vladimir Putin. The EU as a whole has been hurriedly reducing its reliance on Russian energy since the invasion, and is set to discuss ways to further do so and to hear from President Zelensky during a leaders’ summit that starts Monday.

“We have agreed on the main elements that are very favorable for Serbia,” President Vucic, a former pro-Russian ultranationalist, told reporters. “We agreed to sign a three-year contract, which is the first element of the contract that suits the Serbian side very well.” 

Mr. Vucic said he also told Mr. Putin that he wished “peace would be established as soon as possible.” He and other Serbian leaders have been complaining of Western pressure to join sanctions against Russia. Despite reports of Russian atrocities in Ukraine, Serbian officials say the historically Slavic country must resist such pressure, even if it means abandoning the goal of joining the EU.

Mr. Vucic has refused to explicitly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Serbia has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow. He claims he wants to take Serbia into the European Union but has spent recent years cementing ties with Russia, a long-time ally. The gas deal is likely to be signed during a visit by the Russian foreign minister to Belgrade early in June — a rare visit by a ranking Russian official to a European country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began February 24.

While irksome for Brussels, news of the Serbian deal with Russia is likely music to the ears of Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, who ahead of today’s EU meeting voiced his opposition to the bloc’s proposed blanket ban on Russian gas and oil.

As for landlocked Serbia, it is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas, and its main energy companies are under Russian majority ownership. It is not clear how Serbia would receive the Russian gas if the EU decides to shut off the Russian supply that travels over its member countries. Russia has already cut off gas exports to EU members Finland, Poland, and Bulgaria.

Under Mr. Vucic’s 10-year autocratic rule and relentless pro-Kremlin propaganda, Serbia has gradually slid toward aligning with Russia. Polls suggest a majority in the country would rather join some sort of a union with Moscow than the EU.

“The agreement reached by President Vucic with President Putin is proof of how much Serbia’s decision not to participate in anti-Russian hysteria is respected,” Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin said. “The free leader, free people, make decisions that are good for Serbia and do not accept orders” from the West, Mr. Vulin, who is known for his pro-Russian stance,  said.