Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced Wednesday that he has not changed his decision to attend Russia’s Victory Day celebration on May 9 in Moscow, despite pressure from the European Union.
Speaking publicly, Vučić confirmed he would be in the Russian capital accompanied by a Serbian Army unit participating in the parade, commemorating the Soviet victory in World War II.
The statement comes just days after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged all EU candidate countries – particularly those from the Western Balkans – not to attend President Vladimir Putin’s event next month.
“We’ve made it very clear that we do not want any candidate country to participate in these events on May 9 in Moscow,” Kallas said Monday.
Vučić responded by saying he remains committed to his current decision:
“Until this moment, I haven’t changed my decision. We’ll see how things develop.”
He added uncertainty about the type of sanctions the West could impose and whether the Serbian Army could endure the pressure.
“I haven’t been to Moscow in over three years. I haven’t met officially with President Putin since November 2021 – unlike many European leaders,” Vučić noted.
Despite repeated calls from Brussels, Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia, now over three years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Vučić’s continued alignment with Moscow is expected to further complicate Serbia’s EU accession path.
