Serbia’s populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, stated Wednesday that he has not changed his mind about attending the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, despite intense pressure from the European Union. EU officials have warned Vucic that attending the World War II commemorations in Moscow could violate the bloc’s membership criteria for countries aspiring to join, potentially hindering Serbia’s ambitions to join the EU.
Vucic’s visit to Moscow would also be seen as a show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Despite this, Vucic, who has frequently expressed pro-Russian sentiments, confirmed that Serbia’s military would participate in the parade, and that Serbia would, for the first time, be involved in organizing the event alongside Russia.
Vucic acknowledged that Serbia would face pressure regarding its participation in the Moscow event, noting, “In the coming period, we will be under pressure regarding the event in Moscow in which we have announced our participation.”
Earlier this week, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas made it clear that the EU does not want any candidate country to attend the May 9 celebrations in Moscow. Despite his stated goal of bringing Serbia closer to EU membership, Vucic has maintained strong ties with Russia and has refused to impose Western sanctions on Moscow. This has effectively stalled Serbia’s EU accession talks.
Vucic revealed that he would be attending the parade with his right-wing ally, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has criticized Kallas’ warnings to European leaders about attending the Moscow event. Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb separatist leader, has also confirmed his attendance.
At home, Vucic faces significant domestic unrest. Massive student-led anti-corruption protests have rocked his 13-year rule, which intensified after a fatal train station canopy collapse in Novi Sad in November. The collapse, which killed 16 people, has been linked to questionable deals involving Chinese and other foreign construction companies in Serbia.
In addition to the protests, Serbia’s parliament approved a new government this week, which includes several ministers with strong anti-EU stances. One of these ministers, Boris Bratina, was recently seen setting an EU flag on fire while chanting, “We don’t want the EU, we want union with Russia.”
Vucic also addressed a report from Russia’s FSB, which dismissed claims that Serbian authorities used sonic weapons against protesters during a large, peaceful demonstration in Belgrade on March 15. Sonic weapons, which use sound waves to incapacitate individuals, have been used for crowd control in various countries. Vucic quoted the FSB’s conclusion, stating, “The Russian FSB categorically concluded that there was no use of any sonic weapons,” though he did not provide details on how the FSB reached this conclusion or if they had conducted an investigation into the incident.