BELGRADE, October 10. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has refused to sign the final declaration of the Southeast Europe Summit on Ukraine, which was eventually edited according to his own statements to reporters. The document initially included sharp anti-Russian rhetoric but did not mention the mandatory introduction of sanctions on Russia after being edited, as Vucic explained following the event.
I must disappoint you: this provision was changed, and now the document does not say that countries must impose sanctions on Russia,” he said, adding that it now calls for harmonizing their measures with those of the EU. We managed to change that. We changed four provisions, which, in my view, are important. This was one of them.
Vucic emphasized the importance of respecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and adherence to the UN Charter during the summit. He noted that some participants were seeking to take advantage of the charter for their own goals, rather than genuinely upholding its principles. We will not impose sanctions on Russia because this is the policy that Serbia pursues,” Vucic stated, stressing his country’s commitment to remaining independent and sovereign.
The Southeast Europe Summit on Ukraine took place in Croatia’s Dubrovnik on October 9, with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky participating in the event.