Vučić: Serbia is the only one at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit that did not sign a joint declaration

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that he is the only participant in today's Ukraine and Southeast Europe summit in Kiev who did not sign a joint declaration on continuing political, military, financial and security support to Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia.

"I am the only one who did not sign the declaration," Vučić told reporters from Serbia in Kiev after the fifth Ukraine - Southeast Europe summit.

The joint declaration, according to RTS, was signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of Montenegro (Deputy Prime Minister Filip Ivanović), Albania, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.

The document, among other things, accuses Russia of illegal, unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine and calls for an immediate end to the war, as well as a complete and unconditional withdrawal of troops and military equipment from all Ukrainian territory.

The declaration calls for further tightening of sanctions against Russia, the suppression of the Russian "shadow fleet" and the strengthening of the fight against Russian evasion of sanctions. Russian attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure are assessed as war crimes, and any political, military, financial and technical support to Moscow from third countries is condemned.

The signatories of the declaration also supported international efforts to prosecute those responsible for crimes committed in Ukraine, including the work of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, RTS reported.

Vučić announced on Instagram that he presented five Serbian positions at the summit, primarily consistent respect for the UN Charter and resolutions, and added that Belgrade thereby supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which in the same way respects Serbia's sovereignty.

"We are actively participating in providing financial, medical and energy assistance, and we have also raised the issue of transport connectivity of our region with the wider European space, as a prerequisite for faster development and a safer future," Vučić said.

He added that they were "particularly considering" establishing a corridor that would connect Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Vučić told reporters from Serbia that he had three important meetings on the sidelines of the summit - with Zelenskiy, Romanian President Nikos Danos, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, as well as a "short but very important" meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

He announced that he had discussed Serbia's European path and the next steps in the European integration process with Von der Leyen.

"I thanked her for her personal engagement and support for Serbia on its European path, with the belief that through open dialogue and a responsible approach we will continue to improve cooperation with the European Union (EU)," Vučić wrote on Instagram.

Speaking to reporters, Vučić again said that for Serbia, economic development is more important than opening clusters in accession negotiations with the EU.

"We will continue to work (in the European integration process), but our lives do not depend on the opening of clusters. We have already overtaken all the countries (in the region) that were ahead of us in terms of economy and living standards," Vučić said.

Regarding Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's statement that Vučić will not accept the reality that "Kosovo and Metohija does not exist," the Serbian President said that they do not view the issue in the same way.

"Reality is certainly not easy for our side, but I'm not sure it's as rosy as Rama sees it, as far as the future of the southern Serbian province is concerned. I just hope that we will always resolve things peacefully, through dialogue, compromise," Vučić said.

He said that he discussed all important issues with Zelensky, the European path and bilateral cooperation.

"We expressed mutual gratitude for respecting the territorial integrity of our countries. I hope that we will host President Zelensky in Serbia in the near future," Vučić said.

He wrote on Instagram that he and Zelensky agreed to intensify bilateral contacts and that they had agreed to meet more frequently at the highest level.

"We exchanged opinions on initiatives for better connecting the region, and on mutual support between Serbia and Ukraine on the European path," Vučić added.

He stated that he and Janša discussed relations between Serbia and Slovenia, improving economic cooperation, and possibilities for further connecting the two countries.

"We have paid special attention to improving cooperation in areas that can bring new opportunities for development, investment and better connecting our economies. We will continue to build good relations with Slovenia and, through dialogue and concrete work, create results in the interest of the citizens of both countries," Vučić wrote on Instagram.

He told reporters that he had discussed with Janša the Corridor 5 branch and the development of the Belgrade-Trieste railway, which would then be extended from Belgrade through Romania and Moldova towards Ukraine.

"This requires European funds, I have asked Ursula von der Leyen for that kind of support. It is to be expected that we will soon start developing better relations with Slovenia," Vučić said.

Vučić described the meeting with Romanian President Danas as good and substantive, stating that they discussed relations between Serbia and Romania, opportunities for improving economic cooperation, infrastructure connections, and joint projects of mutual importance.

"I invited President Dan to visit Serbia to continue discussions on specific projects and further strengthening cooperation between our countries. We also discussed improving railway and road connectivity with the support of European Union funds, as well as the Đerdap 3 project, which represents important potential for further strengthening cooperation between Serbia and Romania," Vučić said.

Vučić said that Serbian and Romanian officials will sign a memorandum of understanding tomorrow for the Đerdap 3 project, which he described as "a huge investment that gives Serbia the capacity to cope with the increasing demands for huge amounts of electricity."

"We finally managed to accelerate it with the help of the US. If we manage to build it together with the Romanians, that is great news for all of us. We also talked about roads, energy connections, the construction of a gas and oil interconnector," Vučić added.