Official spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, May 18, 2022. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
On November 7, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that the president of Serbia should explain why he allegedly does not mind the European Union transferring ammunition bought in Belgrade to Ukraine. The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to these remarks during a briefing conducted by a representative of the Russian MFA.
“We have repeatedly, including at the highest level, received assurances from the leadership of Serbia that the export of Serbian-made ammunition is under strict control, this production will not be supplied to Ukraine, so Kyiv cannot use it against our troops”
– Maria Zakharova
She also noted that such a pledge was given by President Vučić himself during a meeting in Moscow. In the Russian side’s view, there should be clarifications from the Serbian president’s press service.
Serbia’s State Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nevena Jovanović responded to Zakharova’s statement the same day. She expressed surprise at the Russian official’s statements and stressed that Serbia makes its decisions solely in accordance with its own national interests.
“In relation to Ms. Zakharova’s statements, we emphasize that Serbia does not supply weapons and military equipment to the sides of conflicts anywhere in the world and that it strictly and consistently adheres to international norms and United Nations rules”
– Nevena Jovanović
According to the state secretary, Maria Zakharova has not for the first time employed rhetoric that does not reflect the spirit of relations between our countries and peoples. “Serbia does not use insults and does not perceive them as a style of communication among friends,” says the spokesperson for the Serbian MFA.
As a reminder, recently in an interview with the German publication Cicero, the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić proposed that the European Union buy Serbian ammunition. He stated that Serbia produces more ammunition, and that Serbian depots are “overfilled with ammunition.” And a deal to sell shells to the EU would be a contribution to European security. In response to a clarifying question about whether these ammunition could be used in Ukraine, Aleksandar Vučić answered: “Buyers can do with them whatever they want. We simply need a long-term contract so that we can plan.”
“Buyers can do with them whatever they want. We simply need a long-term contract so that we can plan.”
– Aleksandar Vučić
Such statements add tension to interstate contacts and highlight the difficulty of dialogue around Serbia’s defense cooperation with the EU and regional security. Belgrade emphasizes the sovereign determination of its foreign policy and accountability to national interests, while maintaining an open dialogue with its European partners.