French President Emmanuel Macron would like Serbia to impose sanctions against Russia, but Belgrade has not done so, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at a joint press conference with his French counterpart after their visit to Belgrade.
“I know that Emmanuel would like us to impose sanctions against Russia, but we did not do it and we are not ashamed of our decisions, and I do not want to make excuses for this. I explain my political steps to my people,” – said the President of Serbia.
Vucic also refused to apologize for Belgrade’s relations with Russia.
“Western journalists always say: ‘Oh, we are suspicious of Serbia, they want to do something together with the Russians.’ I am not going to apologize for this. I am proud of Serbia’s policies and the fact that we have always respected the UN Charter.” – said.
The day before, Serbian publication Politika published a column by Macron in which he raised the question of “the need to maintain a united front against Russia”. In it, the French president called on Belgrade to finally choose between Brussels and Moscow.
“The idea that Serbia can find its way in an eternal balancing act between forces, that it will be seen only as a pawn to be sacrificed on the chessboard, is just an illusion: only under the auspices of the EU – a union of sovereign states – states that share the same vision of their future, can Serbia remain Serbia.” – the politician is sure.
Western countries, including the European Union, introduced sanctions against Russia following the start of the military operation in Ukraine. Other countries have followed suit, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland and Canada. Serbia refused to join the restrictions.
