According to the Associated Press reported on the 20th, the US Senate delegation urged Serbia to impose sanctions on Russia because of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict during its visit on Tuesday.
President Vucic of Serbia
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said after meeting with Serbian President Vucic by a bipartisan delegation: "We understand that Serbia has a long cultural and economic history with Russia. But at this juncture, if we, as a democratic society, do not send a unanimous message about the consequences of Russia's actions in Ukraine, there is a huge risk. ”
Murphy told reporters: "We hope to be able to stand with Serbia in the coming weeks and months and send a clear message to Russia." ”
The Associated Press noted that while Serbia voted in favor of suspending Russia's membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council, the country did not join the sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries.
Thousands of people in Serbia protested the anti-Russian vote
Us media pointed out that Serbia, which is seeking to join the European Union, is almost completely dependent on energy supplies from Russia. Vucic has said sanctions against Russia would be disastrous for Serbia itself.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of the United States, said: "I think, as Vucic said, the future of Serbia depends on the rest of Europe and the West, and he has been working in that direction to build trade relations and business investment." As we have pointed out, if this is its intention, it is undoubtedly important to take a look at the foreign policy currently adopted by the EU. ”
U.S. senators also said that if Serbia really wants to join the European Union, it should reconsider its decision to purchase defense equipment from Russia and China.
"In the long run, I think every country needs to make a decision about whether its security interests are most aligned with China," Murphy said. If Serbia is interested in becoming a member of the European Union, it may not be in their long-term interest to establish a security relationship with China. ”
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On the other hand, Serbian President Vucic said on Sunday that not complying with Western sanctions against Russia has cost Serbia dearly.
According to russia today television (RT) reported on the 18th, Vucic said that he believes that if Serbia supports the West's economic restrictions on Russia, he will be praised by the West and praised by it as a "hero".
In an interview with local TV Pink TV, Vucic said: "We have paid a lot for not imposing sanctions on Russia. But if we impose sanctions, we lose the principle that we do not support the imposition of sanctions on anyone, because we know from our own experience that sanctions are immoral and inefficient. ”
In Kiev, Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers stand guard
When talking about the purchase of China's defense equipment, Serbian President Vucic said last week: "We purchase the Chinese FK-3 air defense missile system legally, compliantly, transparently and openly in accordance with procedures." Serbia has found its own path according to the will of its citizens, and we are proud to defend our country and not let NATO protect us in our name. ”
According to the Russian News Agency, Vucic said in a speech on Serbian state television on the 7th local time, saying that Serbia voted in favor of suspending Russia's membership in the Human Rights Council at the emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the 7th, saying that the reason behind this move was that Serbia was pressured and intimidated from the West.
(Editor: WDQ)