The European Union believes that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić should not go to the May 9th celebration in Moscow because "the EU sees it as part of Russian propaganda to justify the invasion of Ukraine."
This was stated today in Brussels by media representatives of the European Commission, emphasizing that Serbia is a candidate for EU membership and that it is therefore necessary to follow the Union's strategic guidelines on security and progress.
When asked by reporters whether Serbia would face any consequences if Vučić went to Moscow to celebrate Victory Day on May 9, EC spokesman Guillaume Mercier said that he "cannot say that there will be no consequences". "Because we cannot make judgments in advance, speculate, we are talking about something that will happen and it is too early to comment on it at this point," he added.
Mercier, as reported by Beta, made it clear that "Serbia is a candidate for EU membership." "Our wish is to be able to rely on that country as a partner when it comes to security, progress, and it is essential that the strategic guidelines of the Union are followed by partner countries," he said.
"The relations of these countries with Russia cannot therefore be normal," he underlined.
When a journalist noted that the Prime Minister of EU member Slovakia, Robert Fico, had also announced his trip to Moscow on May 9, the EC representative's response was that candidates for EU membership, such as Serbia, and members of the Union cannot have normal relations with Vladimir Putin's regime, given the "unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression that Russia is waging against Ukraine."
The head of the EU diplomatic service, Kaja Kalas, previously stated that Brussels is requesting candidate countries not to travel to Moscow on May 9. At the same time, she called on as many European leaders as possible to travel to Kiev that day.
Vučić stated that he promised Putin that he would come to Moscow on Victory Day over Fascism, but without representatives of the Serbian government and military, so that they would not be exposed to sanctions.
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