Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country, though a candidate for European Union membership, will continue to refuse to impose sanctions on Russia over its aggression in Ukraine, despite Western pressure.
The Serbian president wrote on social media that he believes the phone conversation, which he said is money in more than two years with the Russian President, will help “further develop relations and deepen trust between Russia and Serbia”.
“We talked as people who have known each other for a long time, as friends, and the ten-minute conversation was steeped in a personal tone. We also talked about those who are weak (pro-Western) leaders,” the Serbian leader wrote.
He did not say whether he would accept an earlier invitation from Putin to attend a meeting of the BRICS organization of emerging economies, led by Russia and China, due to be held in the Russian city of Kazan from October 22 to 24.
Although officially seeking EU membership, Russia’s traditional Slavic ally Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow even as it has reluctantly condemned Russian aggression. President Vucic has repeatedly reiterated that imposing sanctions is not in Serbia’s national interest.
He said on Sunday he expected criticism from the West for his conversation with Putin, but underlined that “Serbia is a sovereign country that makes its own decisions”.
The Serbian president also thanked Russia” for providing sufficient quantities of gas to Serbia at favorable prices, ” referring to a three-year agreement that expires in March 2025. Serbia is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas, but has recently agreed to start looking for other sources of supply.
Serbia on Sunday marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of its capital Belgrade from the Nazi occupation of World War II, which was accomplished largely thanks to the communist partisans of the former Yugoslavia, but also the Soviet Red Army.
Belgrade’s nationalist authorities marked Liberation Day with a show of pro-Russian sentiment, with thousands marching through Belgrade waving Russian flags.
At a rally, President Vucic delivered a speech in Russian, which he said was a sign of respect for the Red Army, without which “the liberation of Belgrade would not have happened”.VOA
