Serbian president juggles EU aspirations and Russian ties
I came to Moscow to advocate for the Serbian people. However, we remain committed to our European trajectory, emphasised Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Wednesday after his arrival in the Russian capital.
Vučić is visiting Moscow to participate in the Victory Day celebrations and to discuss gas supply agreements with Vladimir Putin.
"I am here to stand up for my people and my country. I don’t concern myself with what anyone else in the world thinks. The Serbian people elected me, not anyone in Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, or Kaunas or anywhere else," said Vučić in an interview with broadcaster RTS. Notably, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia had previously denied him passage through their airspace.
Vučić criticised "Western leaders" for their "lack of understanding."
"They have caused us significant harm, taking away 5% of our territory (Kosovo, which Belgrade does not recognise, was a former province of Serbia - ed.), and today they suggest we forget the past and look to the future. They offer us nothing but threats and intimidation," stated the Serbian president.
He stressed that his discussions in Moscow would predominantly focus on gas supplies.
President Vučić announced his visit to Moscow at the end of April. The Serbian leader is set to meet with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. This will be their first official meeting since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
In response to the conflict, Serbia took in thousands of Ukrainian refugees, condemned Russian aggression multiple times, and sent humanitarian aid to Kyiv. Simultaneously, the government in Belgrade continues to engage with Russia at the highest level and has declined to join EU sanctions against Russia, despite its official aspirations to join the EU.
