Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Serbia has sold almost 800 million euros worth of ammunition to Western countries, which then ended up in Ukraine. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he was not interested in where these shells hit. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Financial Times.
Details
According to the newspaper, the export of ammunition from Serbia, which came to Ukraine through third parties since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, is approximately 800 million euros.
"This is part of our economic recovery... Yes, we export our ammunition. We can't export to either Ukraine or Russia, but we had a lot of contracts with the Americans, Spaniards, Czechs, etc. what they will do with this in the end is their job. Even if I know where the ammunition is going, it's not my job. My job is to ensure that we handle our ammunition legally, so that we sell it. I need to take care of my people, that's all. That's all I can say. We have friends in Kiev and Moscow. These are our" Slavic brothers, " Vucic said.
The publication notes that Vucic resisted Western pressure to adopt a sanctions regime against Russia. He also tried to play it safe and keep his distance between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Europe and the United States have worked for years to distance Vucic from Putin," the Western diplomat said, adding that the decisive player was US Ambassador Christopher Gill, who arrived in Belgrade a month after the full - scale invasion.
"Everyone expected Gill to fight Vucic, but his only goal is to distance Belgrade from Moscow. He succeeded. Vucic hasn't met with Putin in years or even called him. And, of course, there are issues of supplying weapons that enter Ukraine," the diplomat added.
The publication adds that Serbia's participation in the flow of ammunition to Ukraine is quite veiled, so official data do not reflect it. The Kiel Institute of world economy, which monitors support for Ukraine, did not directly track Serbian activities and did not find systematic evidence of Serbian contributions.
Recall
In May, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic expressed support for Ukraine in its war against Russia after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, but did not commit to sanctions against Moscow.