Vucic: Sanctions on Russia not included in Tirana summit declaration

Following the plenary session Vucic told reporters that discussions on the draft declaration took “all day and all night” and that, at Serbia's request, the points regarding the imposition of sanctions against Russia and Russia's malign influence were removed from the proposed text, as well as the terms such as “our states” and “our countries,” mentioned in several items.

Vucic said it is important for Serbia that Ukraine has not recognized Kosovo’s independence, and that Ukraine is one of the few countries that can talk about territorial integrity, because it has never “trampled” on the rights of others.

“I had a special talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and we will have a separate bilateral meeting, and as a country that has been through difficult periods, we can understand each other,” said Vucic, adding he hopes Serbia will continue to build friendly relations with Ukraine.

Asked how Serbia will respond to Zelenskyy’s proposal for Ukraine and the Balkan states to establish a forum for joint production of ammunition, Vucic replied that Serbia needs to create its own platform for talks.