The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, in an interview with the German publication Cicero stated that Belgrade still intends to join the European Union, despite maintaining close ties with Russia and refusing to recognize Kosovo's independence. He also reported that Serbia helps Ukraine more than any other Balkan country, supporting it in matters of territorial integrity. “Ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who among the Balkan countries has helped Ukraine the most with financial and humanitarian aid. The answer might surprise you. We want to become members of the European Union. But you must understand that there are different reasons why we maintain contacts with Russia,” Vučić stated. Among the reasons, he mentioned Russia's support on Kosovo issues and Serbia's industrial dependence on Russian oil and gas supplies.
“I have said in direct conversation with Vladimir Putin at least ten times that we are on the path to the EU. I have always clearly articulated this desire and this goal and have never hidden them. People in Serbia want to live in a democracy and want to have better living conditions. There is no doubt about that,” Vučić stated.
Commenting on his participation in the Victory Parade in Moscow, Vučić explained it as a tribute to the Red Army and Yugoslav partisans who liberated Serbia, noting that due to Russia's war in Ukraine, the Serbian army did not participate in the event. “After Russia's attack on Ukraine, I have not met with Putin for three years and three months. Before the war in Ukraine began, I met with him at least three times a year. Many European leaders visited him or spoke to him by phone. I did not. We condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine, and I believe we have acted very fairly,” the President of Serbia stated.
Furthermore, Vučić stated that he proposed to the European Union to conclude a long-term contract for the purchase of Serbian ammunition, which could then go to Ukraine. “Buyers can do whatever they want with them. We just need a long-term contract so we can plan,” he noted.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service accused Serbia of destroying friendly relations due to participation in arms supplies to Ukraine, stating that Serbian military-industrial complex enterprises send components for artillery ammunition, which are then assembled in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria for Ukraine. Belgrade promised that this scheme would be stopped.