Belgrade has defied Western pressure to join trade restrictions on Moscow
Belgrade is unashamed of its choice to not impose sanctions on Moscow, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has told journalists at a press conference with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
On Thursday, the French leader arrived in Belgrade for a two-day visit. The sides settled on the sale of 12 French-manufactured Rafale multirole jets to the Balkan state. The total sum of the signed deal, including spare parts and service fees, amounts to €2.7 billion ($3 billion).
When asked by a reporter whether the sale of the jets illustrated a shift away from Moscow and closer to the EU, Vucic replied that while he knows Macron would like Belgrade to commit to sanctions against Moscow, that will not happen.
“I know that Emmanuel would like us to impose sanctions on Russia, but I am not ashamed of my decision,” the Serbian leader said.
Vucic added that despite not joining Western sanctions after the onset of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Serbia supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and views it as a friendly nation. Belgrade has since donated more humanitarian aid to Kiev than the other Balkan states combined, he claimed.
The French leader, meanwhile, called Belgrade’s step towards France a strategic shift. “We see so many people who criticize Serbia’s partnership with China or Russia, and now it has a partnership with France,” Macron said. He added that he respects Belgrade’s sovereignty and international partnerships, “but this is an opening, a strategic change.”
Earlier this month, Nenad Popovich, the minister in charge of Belgrade’s international economic cooperation, said that Serbia is pursuing a multi-vector foreign policy. Belgrade is aiming to develop cooperation with Europe, Asia and the Islamic world, he noted, adding that EU accession is a key priority for his country, as it is surrounded either by bloc members or candidate states. Brussels' precondition that Serbia slap sanctions on and cut ties with Russia, however, is “utterly unacceptable,” the minister stressed.
