Aleksandar Vulin has resigned as head of the Serbia's Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), the agency said.

Vulin issued a statement saying the United States and the European Union (EU) want his head as a precondition for not imposing sanctions on Serbia.

“I am not the cause of blackmail and pressure on Serbia and the Serb World, but I will not allow myself to be the reason for blackmail and pressure on Serbia and the Serb World. That is why I am tendering my irrevocable resignation from the post of BIA director,” said Vulin.

He added that the sanctions that have been imposed on him are proof of his persistent struggle for the unity of Serbs.

“However, the imposition of sanctions against Serbia – for which my further leadership of the BIA would be a pretext – would be proof of my selfishness,” he said.

The BIA chief said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbia are faced with threats and blackmail that can only be compared to the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum of 1914.

“We are being asked to recognize Kosovo, to abandon Republika Srpska, and to stop being a sovereign country and nation by imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation. If we were to do this, the next demand would be to drive out Chinese investments, unconditional technological and economic dependence on the West, as well as the continuation of the political and territorial disintegration of Serbia and the acceptance of Western values where there is no place for traditional family and nation, and ultimately, for social justice,” Vulin wrote.

He said the first indicator that he is making the right decision will be “the hypocritical statements of US and EU officials,” in which they will swear that they never had any intention of imposing sanctions on Serbia.

Vulin added that his resignation will not change the US and EU policy towards Serbia, but it will slow down the new demands and blackmail.

“They did not get sanctions against Russia, or Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo, but they did get a Serbian head. I refuse to become part of the anti-Russia and anti-Serb hysteria, to stop caring for Republika Srpska and its survival and to stop believing in the inevitability of the unification of the Serbs and creation of the Serb World, I refuse to give up the policy of military neutrality and fraternal relations with Russia and China,” said Vulin.

He said this was a small victory for the US and EU, but also a big victory for him because he proved that Serbia and the Serb people are worth every sacrifice.

Vulin thanked Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for the opportunity to “defend Serbs and Serbia” and asked him to “remain the president of all Serbs, the last free leader in Europe, making all the Serbs proud.”