US President Joe Biden invited his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić to “hold Russia to account” together for the conflict in Ukraine. He wrote about this on February 14 in a congratulatory telegram on the occasion of the upcoming Day of Serbian Statehood.
“Over the past few years, Serbia and the United States have worked together to diversify energy sources and strengthen economic cooperation. Together we must support the Ukrainian people and hold Russia accountable for its actions in Ukraine,” the telegram says.
It also says that this year Washington will continue to support Serbia’s path to integration with the European Union (EU), as well as dialogue on normalizing relations with Kosovo.
“We welcome your support for the EU proposal to normalize relations with Kosovo, which will help create a peaceful and prosperous future for the region,” the message says.
Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Vučić on the upcoming February 15 public holiday. In his congratulatory telegram, the Russian leader noted that Moscow highly appreciates Belgrade’s balanced foreign policy in difficult international circumstances. Putin also noted that Russia supports Serbia’s efforts aimed at protecting the country’s territorial integrity and resolving the Kosovo issue.
Before that, on February 3, Vučić said that Serbia was ready to join the European Union, but not the NATO alliance. In his opinion, there is a difference between European integration and NATO. Vučić stressed Belgrade’s commitment to maintaining its military neutrality and the desire to strengthen it.
At the same time, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow understands the pressure Serbia is under from Western countries regarding anti-Russian sanctions. He stressed that Russia greatly appreciates the position of the Serbian authorities.
