“He promised and Moscow expects”: Russian media on Vucic’s response to the export of Serbian weapons to Ukraine

Aleksandar Vucic’s response to allegations by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (FSB) that Serbia is exporting arms to Ukraine is a topic that is also being reported in the Russian media.

According to Rossiyska Gazeta, the Serbian President said that if there were suspicions of possible arms supplies to Ukraine, all arms export contracts would be suspended, while Belgrade denies involvement in such schemes and stresses its respect for neutrality.

TASS reports that the Serbian President said he had discussed this with Vladimir Putin during his recent visit to Moscow.

“I discussed this issue with Putin, I discussed it in the presence of several people from both delegations and I also discussed it with him face to face. I would not like to disclose the details of our conversation”, Vucic said, adding that a working group had already been set up “to establish the facts”.

The same statement is also reported by RIA Novosti, adding that the SVR report mentions the Czech Republic, with which the Serbian company Jugouvoz has a contract for the delivery of 44 000 Grad MLRS missiles of 122 mm calibre of one type and 24 000 of another type, as the end-user, but the delivery licence has not yet been issued and none of these missiles has been delivered to the customer.

As the Russian Foreign Ministry stated, “Moscow expects Belgrade to stick to its refusal to supply arms to Ukraine. The Ministry called for caution in the export of military products so that ‘dishonest traders’ serving the West could not carry out deceptive schemes and discredit Serbian arms manufacturers”.

Kosmomolskaya Pravda writes that the President of Serbia has said that he will block transactions by military companies if there is any suspicion that weapons are being sent to the Ukrainian conflict zone.

“In any case, I will issue an order and a warning: wherever there is suspicion or abuse of the so-called end-user, that is, supply on the frontline,” he said./Danas/