Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told a news conference after his meeting with his Russian Counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Wednesday that he does not expect a compromise solution on the Kosovo issue soon.

He said that the authorities in Pristina just want to get recognition and not allow Serbia to get anything, adding that this will not happen. Vucic said he expects Russia’s support in international organizations. “I informed him about the negotiations with the Albanians,” he said.

Vucic said that people in Serbia respect Putin more than other Russian leaders and added that the country “would not have been bombed in 1999 if Putin had been in power”.

Putin said that Moscow’s position on the Kosovo issue remains unchanged, adding that UN Security Council resolution 1244 has to be the basis for a solution. He said that Russia would support Belgrade’s stand on a compromise with the authorities in Pristina and a solution agreed by both sides. According to him, a peaceful solution has to respect the sovereignty and integrity of Serbia and provide adequate protection for the interests of all ethnic groups in the region.

He said that the Serbian president agreed to attend the military parade on Moscow’s Red Square to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2 in 2020. Speaking about natural gas supplies,

Putin said that the section of the Turkish Stream pipeline through Serbia would be completed in the next few weeks and added that Russia will maintain gas supplies through the Ukraine. Putin said that Russia was helping strengthen Serbia’s defense capabilities.