Serbia’s stalled EU accession cannot be understood without unpacking the clientelist networks that bind Serbian elites to Russian state and corporate actors. From gas and oil contracts in the 1990s to recent nuclear cooperation, energy deals embed Russian influence within Serbian institutions and party structures. These ‘energetic alliances’ provide material benefits and political capital for resisting EU demands on sanctions, diversification, and market reform. By following key figures in and around government, the analysis shows how energy dependence translates into foreign policy ambiguity and discursive contestation of EU norms. Serbia emerges as a pivotal case where accession is shaped not only by Brussels’ conditions, but also by rival centres of gravity entrenched in critical infrastructure.