Serbia "quietly" supplies weapons to Ukraine's allies, and Vucic is not concerned with what they do with them
From the very beginning, the West has sought to prevent Serbia's rapprochement with Russia, and the American ambassador played a key role in this
Since 2022, Serbia has exported 800 million euros worth of artillery shells to Western countries and is "quietly" increasing these supplies, the Financial Times writes, adding that President Aleksandar Vucic is aware of this.
Serbia has repeatedly publicly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but has refused to join Western sanctions.
Sometimes the statements of Serbian politicians are perceived as pro-Russian; in addition, many in Serbian society are sympathetic to Russia and at least cautious about the West.
Serbia has not directly supplied any weapons to either Russia or Ukraine. However, according to the Financial Times, it has supplied and continues to supply artillery shells to Western countries that actively support Ukraine and have made no secret of the fact that they are ready to buy ammunition for it from third countries (keeping only the names of these countries secret).
In his comments to the publication, President Vucic said that the estimate of 800 million euros is generally close to reality. He clarified that it is not for one year, "but maybe for two or three years".
"This is part of our economic recovery and it is important for us. Yes, we export our ammunition. We can't export to Ukraine or Russia, but we have a lot of contacts with the Americans, the Spanish, the Czechs and others. What they ultimately do with it is their business," the newspaper quoted Vucic as saying.
"Even if I know [where the ammunition will end up], it is not my business. My job is to ensure that we dispose of the ammunition legally, that we sell it. I have to take care of my people, that's all. That's all I can say. We have friends in Kyiv and Moscow. These are our Slavic brothers," Vucic added.
The Financial Times also quoted an anonymous Western diplomat as saying that the West had been trying to prevent Serbia from getting closer to Russia from the beginning, and that the key role in this was played by US Ambassador Christopher Hill, who arrived in Belgrade a month after the Russian invasion began.
"Everyone expected Hill to quarrel with Vucic, but his only goal was to distance Belgrade from Moscow. He succeeded. Vucic hasn't met with Putin in years and hasn't even called him. And, of course, there are also arms supplies to Ukraine," the FT quoted its source as saying.
Background. Meanwhile, in April 2023, a leak of secret Pentagon documents revealed that Belgrade had agreed to supply weapons to Ukraine or had already sent them, Reuters reported. Vucic denied this information.
In May this year, it was reported that Serbia would send an ambassador to Ukraine for the first time since the Russian invasion.
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