Serbia’s Moscow-friendly president visits Ukraine but refuses to sign an “anti-Russia” declaration

Belgrade, Serbia (AP) – Serbia’s friendly leader on Russia made an unexpected visit to Ukraine on Wednesday to strengthen European support for Kief’s fight against Russian aggression, but he refused to sign a joint declaration calling for tougher sanctions on Moscow.

This is the first time President Aleksandar Vucic has visited Ukraine since taking office ten years ago. He participated in a summit between Ukraine and 12 countries southeast of Odessa.

Vucic maintained close ties with Russia when he said he wanted Serbia to join the EU. He violated EU warnings and participated in Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9. EU officials say it is inappropriate to Vucic fight alongside President Vladimir Putin, given the Moscow invasion.

Vucic told Serbian media on Wednesday that the signing of the “anti-Russia” declaration was not easy and simple for us, and he gave up, noting that its sanctions were a reason.

Vucic added: “But I want to thank the President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy again for the abundant production in Odessa here.”

Serbia relies almost entirely on Russia’s energy supply, but after its full invasion of Ukraine, it refused to join the Western sanctions imposed on Russia on Russia, despite its formal support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Vucic’s visit to Ukraine comes weeks after Russia accused Serbia of exporting weapons to Ukraine, calling it a long-time Balkan allies stabbed in the back.

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Agency claims that exports are being passed through NATO intermediaries, “mainly the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria. Recently, exotic choices involving African countries have also been used for this purpose.”

Serbia neither admits that it has been providing ammunition to Ukraine, but it has assured Russia will conduct a formal investigation into the matter.