Vucic: Talks with Putin on Kosovo and double standards

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that during his meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, they discussed the issue of Kosovo and double standards, as well as pressures exerted by certain parts of the world on Serbia to accept the secession of part of its territory. Vucic added that both the Chinese and Russian presidents emphasized their joint efforts to establish major changes and a more just global order.

“We discussed Kosovo and Metohija and the fact that double standards exist in parts of the world that are trying to force us, through additional pressure, to accept the separation of Kosovo. We also spoke about the pressure to impose sanctions on Russia and many other topics,” Vucic told reporters.

He noted that the meeting with the Russian president was “long, substantive, and serious.”

Vucic said the conversation encompassed all aspects of bilateral cooperation between Serbia and Russia and expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the talks.

He particularly highlighted the topic of a new long-term gas supply agreement, as 85% of Serbia’s total gas needs are met by Russia.

“We have opened talks and negotiations today. Soon, our experts will start drafting a long-term agreement. I want to believe—and this is my request—although I didn’t receive any firm guarantees, I think it will happen—I believe that Serbia will secure very good and favorable terms for Russian gas in the coming years. It’s not an easy task, but I believe that in the coming weeks, we will receive terms similar to the current ones and an extension of the contract’s validity until a new agreement is finalized,” Vucic said.

Military-technical cooperation was also discussed, and ways to continue it in a manner that does not conflict with the interests of either Serbia or Russia.

Sanctions against the Serbian oil company NIS were also a topic of discussion.

Putin and Xi Working on a Fairer World Order

Vucic shared that both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed their joint commitment to establishing major global changes and a fairer international order.

“That was the common denominator and the identical phrase I heard from both of them today,” the Serbian president said.

He reiterated that he had an excellent conversation with Xi and expressed gratitude to China for its continued support.

“I believe this visit to Moscow was not only important for highlighting the role of the Serbian people in the liberation wars and expressing gratitude to the Soviet Red Army for its role in our liberation, but that we also accomplished a good—perhaps very good—outcome for Serbia,” Vucic said.

Serbia Supports China’s Territorial Integrity

In response to criticism of his statement affirming Serbia’s respect for the “One China” principle, Vucic clarified that this means Serbia supports the territorial integrity of China.

“That’s nothing new. I simply repeated what I’ve said 500 times before in Belgrade. As far as we’re concerned, Taiwan can never exist outside of China because of the ‘One China’ principle. What’s controversial about that?” Vucic asked.

As for claims that he was seated in the second row during a dinner, Vucic explained that the Russian president held only three bilateral meetings that day—with the leaders of Brazil, Egypt, and “powerful and strong Serbia with its 6.5 million people.”

“The Chinese president had several bilateral meetings, and he spent the most time with us. He personally stopped to walk with me to the monument. The image they published wasn’t from the dinner, but from the concert. President Xi always sits next to Putin, which is normal, and then come the former Soviet countries, followed by the rest of us in alphabetical order. That’s why I always sit between Palestine and Slovakia,” Vucic clarified.

He emphasized that he does not recall Serbia ever being shown such respect and hospitality in Moscow.

He added that he had the opportunity to speak with the president of Uzbekistan and expects reciprocal visits soon, as well as meetings with African partners.

“I have one more commitment in the morning, and then we’ll see how we’re getting back, since those from the Baltics said they won’t let me return to Belgrade,” Vucic said jokingly.

When asked about concrete agreements reached in Moscow, Vucic said that, regarding gas, the principles seem to be aligned.

“We essentially reached an agreement. The rest is up to the experts. We must understand that without gas, there’s no serious industry, no solving of environmental problems, no energy. We wouldn’t have had enough electricity this past winter without gas-fired power plants. We wouldn’t have had enough from coal or other sources without gas,” Vucic explained.

Regarding the train factory project, he said that President Xi replied he expects a final answer soon, and Vucic believes it will be a positive one.

“The coming days will be interesting, especially in Tirana. You know how it is when everyone attacks one person, and that person decides to defend themselves…” Vucic said.

Earlier at the Meeting with Putin

At the meeting with the Russian president, Vucic expressed gratitude for Russia’s strong support of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, stressing that it is a shared duty to prevent any revision of history. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Moscow values Vucic’s personal attendance at the Victory Day Parade.

“Thank you for your warm welcome and hospitality, and once again, congratulations on this holiday—80 years since the victory in the Great Patriotic War. It is also a very important day for the Serbian people. We are proud of our people’s role in liberating our country from Nazi occupiers and deeply grateful to the Soviet Red Army for its major contribution to that liberation,” Vucic said at the start of the meeting.

He thanked Putin for the strong support for Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and acknowledged Putin’s personal contribution to the development of bilateral relations.

Vucic agreed that increasing trade exchange is important and noted that there are great opportunities to do so.

He also underlined that gas supply is of vital importance.

“Our long-term agreement has very favorable conditions, and we are grateful for that. We hope we can maintain the same terms if possible, or perhaps even improve them, if I may say so. We have good cooperation in various areas, but I believe we can expand and strengthen it in all fields,” Vucic said.

He emphasized that it is a joint responsibility to prevent the revision of history, which was also demonstrated today.

“Thank you once again for this magnificent parade. I hope to see you in Serbia, in Belgrade. Thank you for the hospitality—we feel at home here,” the Serbian president concluded.

Putin: We Deeply Appreciate Your Personal Presence—This is Our Shared Holiday

“We sincerely appreciate that you are here with us today, personally participating in this commemorative event. We know that some tried to persuade you to do otherwise, creating logistical problems, yet you are here with us,” Putin emphasized.

He stressed that this is a shared holiday and reminded that Russian and Serbian soldiers fought side by side.

He mentioned the liberation of Belgrade, calling it one of the key final stages of World War II.

Putin acknowledged the Serbian people’s profound respect for fallen soldiers and said the friendship between the two brotherly nations was solidified during those brutal years of war.

He praised Serbia’s independent and sovereign course in international politics.

He recalled that the Russia–Serbia dialogue remains consistent, that he had spoken with Vucic on March 7 in detail, and that foreign ministers met in February. He noted there are regular contacts among ministries and stable interparliamentary cooperation.

Putin expressed regret that trade cooperation is not at an optimal level, but emphasized the need to find ways to reverse that trend.

He asked Serbia to appoint its co-chair of the intergovernmental commission as soon as possible.

He pointed out that energy is a key sector in bilateral trade and that Russia ensures Serbia’s energy security.

“Through the supply of natural gas via TurkStream, Gazprom remains a reliable provider and responds to requests by delivering additional quantities. This contributes to Serbia’s economy,” Putin stated.

He concluded that all current issues of Russia–Serbia cooperation will be discussed and that they will examine what else can and should be done.