Ukraine receives €800 million worth of Serbian ammunition through third countries

Ukrainska Pravda
·2 min read
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Financial Times reported that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Serbian exports of ammunition that have reached Ukraine through third parties have amounted to about €800 million.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the Financial Times

Details: Serbia has been quietly increasing its sales of ammunition to the West, which ultimately contributes to Ukraine's defence capabilities – even though Serbia is one of only two European countries that have not joined Western sanctions against Russia.

Estimates provided by the Financial Times indicate that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Serbian exports of ammunition that have entered Ukraine through third parties have amounted to around €800 million, a figure that President Aleksandar Vučić has described as broadly accurate.

He presented the situation as a business opportunity, insisting that he would not take sides in the war.

Quote from Vučić: "This is part of our economic revival, and it is important for us. Yes, we export our ammunition. We can't export to Ukraine or Russia... but we had a lot of contracts with the Americans, the Spaniards, the Czechs, and others. What they do with it in the end is their choice.

Even if I know [where the ammunition is going], it's not my job. My job is to make sure that we handle our ammunition legally, that we sell it... I have to take care of my people, and that's it. That's all I can say. We have friends in Kyiv and Moscow. These are our Slavic brothers."

More details: Asked if the €800 million figure was correct, he said it was not for one year, but "maybe two or three years, something like that".

Background:

  • Serbia participated in the inaugural Peace Summit and signed the final communiqué. Serbia, Russia's ally in the Balkans, has repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the UN and other international forums but has refused to join international sanctions against the Kremlin.

  • Since 2022, Serbian President Vučić has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three times during international events abroad, most recently at the Ukraine-Balkans summit in Tirana in February.

  • During the summit, Vučić insisted that references to sanctions against Russia be removed from the final declaration.

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