Moscow expects Serbia to strictly comply with its commitments on arms export control. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a briefing, commenting on an interview by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for the German magazine “Cicero“, TASS reported, quoted by BTA.
Vucic told the publication that Belgrade is ready to sell ammunition to EU countries and that buyers “can do whatever they want“ with them. He added that Serbia has full warehouses and can meet the needs of European armies if a long-term contract is signed.
When asked whether this ammunition could be used in Ukraine, Vucic replied: “The buyers can do whatever they want with it - we just need a long-term contract so that we can plan.“
Zakharova said that Moscow “is assuming that Belgrade will keep its promises“. She also highlighted discrepancies in some of Vucic's public statements, and according to her, the tone and content of his interviews in Moscow differ from those in other countries. The spokeswoman called on the Serbian president's press office to clarify any inaccuracies in the media.
She recalled that Russia had repeatedly received assurances from the Serbian leadership that the export of ammunition was under strict control and would not be directed to Ukraine, so as not to fall into the hands of forces using it against Russian troops. Moscow, she said, "rejects even the hypothesis" that Serbian weapons would be used against Russian military personnel.