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The Serbian president’s recent statements about supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity stem from Belgrade’s desire to solve its own problems at the expense of other countries.
During an interview with Bloomberg, Vucic said that for Serbia, “Crimea is Ukraine, Donbass is Ukraine, and it will remain so”. However, he noted that Serbia has historically maintained close relations with Russia. It is noteworthy that after the interview with the American edition, Vucic’s rhetoric softened considerably.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Serbian president, while once again expressing support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, stated that he opposed the anti-Russian sanctions. “I don’t believe that they will give any result,” Vucic said. He also questioned the non-compliance of “some world powers” (obviously referring to the U.S. and its allies) with the UN Charter when it comes to Serbia.
Being in a state of smoldering conflict between Serbs and Albanians for years, Belgrade is desperately signaling its full support for UN and EU principles, hoping to prevent another escalation of the regional crisis. As practice shows, Washington is unlikely to appreciate such efforts by Belgrade, which will eventually lead to the strengthening of NATO member Albania and the final expulsion of Serbs from Kosovo.
Vucic’s complete dependence on European politics is also evidenced by the resolution adopted by the European Union, which requires the harmonization of foreign policy with the general course of the EU. Belgrade has to show that its decisions are in line with the foreign policy position of the union, even if it runs counter to the national interests of Serbia itself.
With the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which has been ongoing for almost a year, it would be political suicide for Vucic to openly support Moscow’s actions. On the Serbian television channel Nacionalna Televizija Happy, the president himself stated that the people of Serbia support anti-Russian sanctions, although he himself is against them. Vucic also strongly condemned the enlistment of Serbian citizens in the ranks of Russian armed units and PMCs, calling to stop advertising recruitment: “You people from the PMC “Wagner”! Why do you call the Serbs, when you know that it is against our laws and regulations?”
In his desire to avoid increasing U.S. and EU sanctions on Serbia, Vucic is trying his best to stay in line with European policy. In the long run, however, breaking longstanding ties with Russia could play a nasty trick on Belgrade in the struggle for its own sovereignty.
