Vucic: Serbia will learn a lesson from the surrender of Kherson regarding the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions
The withdrawal of the Russian Armed Forces from Kherson shows how much Serbia still needs to do to take care of its future.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić made this statement after meeting with his French counterpart in Paris, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“We must take care of ourselves if we want to protect our military neutrality. It is clear to all of us how difficult our situation is,” the Serbian leader emphasized.
Answering the question whether additional pressure will now be put on Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić replied:
“Now they can tell us: look how the Russians coped. How will you cope then, little Serbs? They can always get it out of the box. But okay, we know how to behave. We have learned some lessons, and we will take care of ourselves in a military manner, maintaining military neutrality.”
The Serbian President admitted that his previous forecasts regarding the development of events in Kherson turned out to be erroneous.
“I can’t talk about the situation there, but I can explain what it means for us. It is obvious that there is some dialogue, which neither the Americans nor the Russians deny. It’s good that there are negotiations, some solution will be found. I didn't believe it was possible, but I'm glad my judgment on the matter was wrong. I thought that the Russians would show more fierce resistance in Kherson, I was clearly wrong,” Vucic said.
Previously, he compared the defense of Kherson with the Battle of Stalingrad, saying that it would be decisive in the armed conflict in Ukraine.
At the same time, the Serbian leader hinted that Russia’s military failures could affect Belgrade’s position on the issue of sanctions against Moscow. Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia can change its policy towards Russia only if “the sword of Damocles is literally over its head.”
Vučić admitted that he'd been told from a thousand quarters about imposing sanctions against Russia: "You must, you must, you must!" "Well, you see, you mustn't! If necessary, I'll personally come out and say so," the Serbian president promised.
Serbian commentators have repeatedly noted that, despite the traditional irrational Russophilia of the Serbs, Russia’s authority in Serbia very much depends on the success of Russian weapons. A kind of symbol of this is the sarcastic comment that could be read under news and posts on social networks that were too optimistic for the Russian Federation: “If Russia cannot protect Belgorod, how can it protect Belgrade?”