Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić apologized to citizens Monday after Serbia voted in favor of a United Nations resolution calling for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
“I think Serbia made a mistake today, I apologize to the citizens for that. I take the blame for it myself because I’m probably tired and burdened and can’t get everything done,” Vučić told Serbian channel Happy Television Monday evening.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution on Monday, backed by European nations, calling for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Russia and the United States voted against it, while Serbia was among 93 countries that supported it. Eighteen countries opposed the resolution and 65 abstained.
Later on Monday, the U.S. voted once again alongside Russia on a U.S.-backed U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a “swift end” to the war in Ukraine — without, however, labeling the Kremlin as an aggressor or affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity. That resolution was approved without the support of five European Security Council members, including Serbia.
According to Vučić, Serbia should have abstained from voting on the European-backed resolution just as it did with the American one.
“As far as the American resolution is concerned, we voted exactly as it should have been. We abstained. We should have abstained, in my opinion, from the European resolution as well,” he said. “As you can see, I am saying this at a time when it is quite clear that I will lose favor or political points in the EU because of this. I believe that Serbia had to abstain,” he added.
Serbia has long maintained close ties with Russia, rooted in historical, cultural and religious connections as well as close economic cooperation; Serbia relies on Moscow for gas supplies. Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Serbia has faced growing pressure to distance itself from Moscow but has resisted imposing sanctions, instead seeking to balance its ties with Russia and the European Union.
Following the vote, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha thanked the countries that voted in favor of the European-backed resolution. “Ukraine and the wider international community will also undoubtedly note the company of Member States that voted against,” he added.
“Sometimes it is not easy to fight for the truth. But in the end, it is the truth that makes history. We appreciate each of the 93 U.N. Member States that supported our resolution, all its truthful language, and its clear desire to achieve a just and lasting peace,” he said.
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