Serbian President Indirectly Confirms Supply of Serbian-Made Weapons to Ukraine

Serbia has always denied supplying arms to Ukraine. Including because of the friendly relations between Belgrade and Moscow. However, an indirect confession of the Serbian President Vucic speaks of the opposite, writes FAC.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has indirectly confirmed the supply of Serbian-made weapons to Ukraine, writes the German “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAC). The publication refers to an interview of Vucic for the British “Financial Times”.

“Is it possible that it happened? Yes, it is possible that weapons reached Ukraine,” he said in connection with information leaked a few weeks ago from US secret documents, according to which Serbia refused to train Ukrainian military, but not to supply them with weapons.

In early March, it became known that about 3,500 Grad rockets manufactured in the Balkan country had been imported into Ukraine. The information was then also confirmed by pro-Russian military bloggers, FAC recalls. According to Russian portals, the ammunition was ordered by a Turkish intermediary, after which it was sold through Turkey to Slovakia, and from there the missiles reached Ukraine.

The German online publication RND then reported that in early February of this year, there were two deliveries of Serbian missiles to Ukraine. According to the publication, the supplier is the Serbian state company Krušik.

There is hardly any other country in Europe, apart from Serbia, where the government, the media and a large part of the public opinion are so sympathetic to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, writes Michael Martens further in the FAC publication. The publication also recalls the angry reaction of Moscow, as well as the denials from Belgrade. Serbian President Vučić even assured that Serbia did not export weapons either to Ukraine or to Russia.

The background

In July last year, a Ukrainian transport plane crashed in northeastern Greece, not far from Kavala. Even then, there were speculations that the weapons load he was carrying was destined for Ukraine. It turned out that the plane had 11.5 tons of mortars and mines made in Serbia. “The public must receive an answer to the question of why a Ukrainian plane is carrying Serbian weapons at a time when the largest international conflict is raging on the territory of Ukraine,” political scientist Vuk Vuksanovic from the Belgrade Center for Security Policy commented to DV at the time.

Serbia strives for good relations with Russia, including because Moscow supports the Serbian position that Kosovo is not independent, but a Serbian province, FAC recalls. Serbian Defense Minister Miloš Vučević, quoted by the publication Euraktiv, then indicated that “the accusations are lies that have been refuted dozens of times”. The minister also claimed that if private companies bought in third markets and then resold weapons, this did not affect Serbia.

Is the US getting closer to Belgrade over the war in Ukraine?

In front of the “Financial Times”, Vucic makes an effort to downplay his contacts with Vladimir Putin, which he otherwise likes to brag about, commented FAC author Michael Martens. “At least as remarkable as his statements are some sentences uttered by the American ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill… They seem to support the thesis that the harsh American criticism of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in the recent dispute between Serbia and Kosovo is related and with the fact that the United States desperately wants to position Serbia against Russia, which is why it supports Vucic,” the German publication wrote.

Hill also stated that from an American perspective, Ukraine is currently more important than any other issue in Europe. In his words, everyone’s efforts are needed, especially in the Balkans. “When everyone is in the boat, relations improve,” the diplomat was quoted as saying, apparently referring to the recently improved relations between Serbia and the United States, FAC points out.