Vucic: I have never renounced Kosovo, nor will I ever do so

Serbia will continue its policy of military neutrality, preserving peace in the region and worldwide, and adhering to the UN Charter and relevant resolutions—not only with regard to Kosovo, but also in relation to all other crises around the world—Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic emphasized at his annual press conference. He stressed that he has never renounced Kosovo, nor will he ever do so.

“I have never renounced Kosovo, nor will I ever renounce it,” Vucic said this evening in response to claims by Sonja Biserko that he had given up Kosovo but uses it for political purposes.

Vucic recalled that Kosovo declared independence in 2008, that the most powerful Western countries recognized that independence a year later, and that in 2011, under previous governments, a border crossing toward central Serbia was established.

“Everything you have endured since then—impossible pressures—is true heroism, above all by our people in Kosovo and Metohija and by the political leaders there. We will continue to withstand pressure and fight for law and justice, and for the UN Charter, under impossible circumstances, under the threat of sanctions and the destruction of our economy,” Vucic underlined.

He also stressed that he has always made decisions guided not only by his conscience and the Constitution of Serbia, but also by concern for the Serbian population in Kosovo.

He noted that he did not issue warnings lightly about the military alliance of Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo—something that is now clearly evident as they announce plans to jointly produce an armored vehicle called “Sota.”

“I have to congratulate them, and I am always glad to see how much people invest at various levels, but we invest far more and will continue to do so. I do not see this as a sufficient threat at this moment. We will see how it plays out in the future,” Vucic emphasized.

Two Goals for Serbia in the Coming Year

Vucic announced two goals for Serbia in 2026.

“The first is peace and stability, and the second is political—making it the best year in Serbia’s history, primarily in terms of the economy. Everything we have done and achieved can be directed toward accomplishing those two goals,” Vucic said.

As for policy, he reiterated that Serbia will continue its policy of military neutrality.

“Serbia will continue its policy of military neutrality, peace in the region and worldwide, and adherence to the UN Charter and resolutions—not only with regard to Kosovo and Metohija, but also all other crises around the world. At the same time, we will protect the security of Serbia’s citizens, safeguard our country from any potential aggressor, and do everything to deter attacks,” Vucic stressed.

He said that we are living in times that are difficult to predict, when one wakes up to news of yet another war, and when it cannot be said that the war in Ukraine will end soon—although, he added, he doubts that it will.

“I am certain that tensions will rise in other parts of the planet as well. It is important, despite the pressures we face, to preserve stability and peace and to try to improve cooperation with all actors around the world,” Vucic said.

Vucic shared precise data showing that this year he had 63 meetings with heads of state, 34 meetings with foreign prime ministers, 34 meetings with heads of international organizations and the EU, 31 meetings with ministers and parliamentary speakers, and 26 phone calls with foreign heads of state and government.

“These are not all the meetings and talks, but they are the most important ones—188 in total. That means more than once every other day throughout the year. We did everything to represent our country’s interests in a dignified manner,” Vucic said.

The Serbian president noted that counterintelligence protection of the country will need to be strengthened.

In that regard, he expressed expectations that next year there will be further increases in salaries for police and military personnel, and announced that special police units will be incomparably better equipped.

“The Gendarmerie, SAJ, Police Brigade, UKP, SBPOK—all those working in the field,” Vucic added.

Contracts for the Military worth billions of euros signed

Regarding the Serbian Armed Forces, Vucic announced that major contracts worth billions of euros have been signed.

“When the time comes and when it is necessary, we will inform you about it, but I want you to know that you should feel safe. We produce everything we can for our army and purchase everything necessary to secure our skies and our land,” the president said.

He pointed out that Serbia will be among the best-equipped countries in Europe in terms of air defense and deterrence against any potential aggressor.

He added that efforts will continue to increase the number of members in special units, as well as in the police and the military.

He also stated that Serbia is procuring weapons from various sources, something he does not hide but takes pride in.

“From France, Israel, China, Russia—we choose the best equipment. Our experts select what is needed to protect our country, so that 1999 never happens again. Today, anyone considering attacking Serbia would have to think not twice, but many times over. The Serbian Armed Forces are stronger than they have ever been,” the president said.

Vucic stated that Serbia recorded the lowest crime rate and the lowest total number of criminal offenses in its history this year. A total of 64,072 criminal offenses were recorded, the lowest figure in the past 25 years since such data have been collected.

“I am proud of the fact that, despite unlawful actions by tens of thousands of gatherings and numerous attacks on property, people, and the police, we managed to preserve stability, peace, and human lives,” Vucic said.

Whoever takes over NIS, the Refinery will have to operate

Regarding NIS, Vucic emphasized that Serbia’s current situation is not comfortable, adding that he hopes for a positive decision by OFAC and the U.S. State Department.

“We have gone 83 days without a single drop of oil flowing through the pipeline, yet we have maintained full energy stability. Everything is extraordinary for us, because we are using reserves that we painstakingly accumulated. You laughed at me when I talked about beans and peas, but that is how we handled oil and petroleum products as well—that is how responsible hosts act. But imagine the Danube freezing or water levels dropping—we cannot compensate for supply, especially diesel, without that, and we cannot import 6,000 tons of diesel, which is our daily requirement. We are now spending our ‘silverware,’ our reserves,” Vucic explained.

He pointed out that every day the refinery remains idle results in enormous financial losses, massive quantities of oil wasted, and reduced growth.

“The refinery will operate—whoever takes over NIS must operate it, otherwise they will not operate in Serbia. That is the only condition we have. The pressure on a daily basis is unbearable. I am proud of Serbia for showing what responsible people mean. Imagine if this had happened in 2011—we would not have lasted three days. We will allocate enormous funds for the Novi Sad–Hungary oil pipeline. We will build gas interconnectors toward North Macedonia to construct that pipeline. We have built Kostolac B3; we must talk about nuclear energy, about building nuclear power plants—both small and large, which take up to 12 years to build,” the Serbian president said.

He added that Serbia is among the top 20 percent of countries prepared for artificial intelligence, which will bring a huge advantage in the future.

“Kragujevac with the data center is in place, Nis is next, and we need infrastructure for that, while the backup of all those computers is in Belgrade. All of this literally consumes electricity—we need clean energy, and in the future we will need even more,” Vucic said.

Commenting on the detention of the leader of the Democratic People’s Party in Montenegro, Milan Knezevic, Vucic said he does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, but that he is concerned because Knezevic is a leader of the Serbian people in Montenegro.

“As President of Serbia, I have an obligation to care for the Serbian people, without endangering territorial integrity and sovereignty, and I will always stand by our people,” Vucic said, commenting on developments in Montenegro, where residents gathered today in Botun near Podgorica to prevent the start of construction of a wastewater treatment facility, and police detained several dozen people.

Vucic said he does not interfere even when he and Serbia are attacked daily, adding that he knows this is done by “Djukanovic’s wing, along with some others.”

“Montenegro has always been and will always remain a brotherly state,” Vucic underlined.

I will complete my term in peace and stability

Vucic also stressed that he will complete his term in peace and stability.

“I will preserve peace and stability. I am not preparing for war, but working to preserve peace by deterring those who might think of attacking us,” Vucic concluded.