Belgrade: As war broke out in Ukraine, Serbia’s president announced he had secured an “extremely favorable” natural gas deal with Russia During a telephone conversation with the Russian President on Sunday Vladimir Putin, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has refused to explicitly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Serbia Western sanctions against Moscow have not joined. Vucic, a former pro-Russian ultranationalist, claims he wants to take over Serbia The European Union But it has spent recent years strengthening ties with Russia, a longtime ally.
Serbia is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas and its main energy companies are Russian majority-owned.
“I can tell you that we have agreed on the main elements which are very favorable for Serbia,” Vucic told reporters. “We agreed to sign a three-year contract, which is the first element of the contract that is very suitable for the Serbian side.”
Vucic said he told Putin he wanted “peace to be established as soon as possible.”
The deal is likely to be signed during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Belgrade in early June – a rare visit by a ranking Russian official to a European country since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
It is unclear how Serbia will receive Russian gas if the EU decides to cut off Russian supplies to its member states. Russia has already cut gas exports to EU members Finland, Poland and Bulgaria. The bloc as a whole has been reducing its reliance on Russian energy since the invasion.
Despite reports of atrocities in Ukraine due to the invasion, Vucic and other Serbian leaders continue to complain of Western pressure to engage in sanctions against Russia. Serbian officials say the Balkan country should resist such pressure, even if it means giving up on the goal of joining the European Union.
Under Vucic’s 10-year autocratic rule and relentless pro-Kremlin propaganda, Serbia is slowly moving towards Russia. Polls suggest that a majority in the country would prefer to join some sort of union with Moscow rather than the European Union.
“The agreement signed by President Vucic with President Putin is a testament to how much Serbia’s decision to not participate in the anti-Russian frenzy is respected,” said Interior Minister Alexander Vulin, known for his pro-Russian stance. go.
“Independent leaders, free people, make decisions that are good for Serbia and do not accept orders from the West”, Vulin said.
Serbia is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas and its main energy companies are Russian majority-owned.
“I can tell you that we have agreed on the main elements which are very favorable for Serbia,” Vucic told reporters. “We agreed to sign a three-year contract, which is the first element of the contract that is very suitable for the Serbian side.”
Vucic said he told Putin he wanted “peace to be established as soon as possible.”
The deal is likely to be signed during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Belgrade in early June – a rare visit by a ranking Russian official to a European country since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
It is unclear how Serbia will receive Russian gas if the EU decides to cut off Russian supplies to its member states. Russia has already cut gas exports to EU members Finland, Poland and Bulgaria. The bloc as a whole has been reducing its reliance on Russian energy since the invasion.
Despite reports of atrocities in Ukraine due to the invasion, Vucic and other Serbian leaders continue to complain of Western pressure to engage in sanctions against Russia. Serbian officials say the Balkan country should resist such pressure, even if it means giving up on the goal of joining the European Union.
Under Vucic’s 10-year autocratic rule and relentless pro-Kremlin propaganda, Serbia is slowly moving towards Russia. Polls suggest that a majority in the country would prefer to join some sort of union with Moscow rather than the European Union.
“The agreement signed by President Vucic with President Putin is a testament to how much Serbia’s decision to not participate in the anti-Russian frenzy is respected,” said Interior Minister Alexander Vulin, known for his pro-Russian stance. go.
“Independent leaders, free people, make decisions that are good for Serbia and do not accept orders from the West”, Vulin said.