BELGRADE, April 16. /TASS/. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has reiterated his readiness to visit Moscow on May 9, while expressing concerns that the pressure he is facing is strong enough to cause the sky to "collapse."
"It seems to me that the sky is about to fall on my head due to the pressure surrounding the trip to Moscow, although I have not deceived or lied to anyone. Even eight months ago, I publicly announced my intention to go to Moscow. For more than three years - including the two and a half years prior to that announcement - I have not met with Russia’s president officially, unlike many European leaders," Vucic stated in his address to the nation.
"Serbia made a significant contribution to the fight against fascism, something we take pride in, unlike many countries that are attempting to rewrite history on global, continental, regional, and even local levels. We are proud of our struggle against fascism, and that was the key reason why I accepted the invitation," the Serbian leader emphasized.
Vucic noted the necessity of engaging in discussions with "Russian friends regarding the further gas agreement," as well as matters concerning the company NIS (Naftna Industrija Srbije) and other important issues.
"I cannot predict what decisions others will make or what sanctions might be imposed, nor can I say whether the army will be able to withstand this pressure. These sanctions could potentially affect their operational functionality - I'm not sure how it would impact their overall combat readiness, as we might simply state," Vucic emphasized. "As for me, I have not changed my mind - I am prepared for the sky to fall on my head. How much longer I can endure this - whether it be a day, two, three, five, or more - will remain to be seen. We managed to hold out for three and a half years when we refused to join the anti-Russian sanctions," he added.
Earlier, the head of the EU External Action Service, Kaja Kallas, announced that Brussels had instructed candidate countries for EU membership not to travel to Moscow on May 9. Simultaneously, she urged as many European leaders as possible to visit Kiev on that day. One of the conditions for accession to the EU is the requirement for candidate countries to gradually align their foreign policies with the political course of the European Union, despite the fact that these countries cannot influence the EU's formation.
Since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, Brussels has been actively pressuring all candidate countries, including Serbia and Georgia, to support its anti-Russian policies.