Serbian President Vucic is between a rock and a hard place but at least he’s candid about it. Serbia has applied for European Union membership but is finding it hard to play nicely with the EU.
The EU wants Serbia to play tough with Russia and Serbia refuses. They do not want to replicate the economic implosion that other European countries are facing due to Russian sanctions. This refusal has brought a lot of heat down on the President, particularly from Germany and France.
An MP asked Vucic if Serbia’s EU aspirations were “a fairy tale.” He said this in response:
“I don’t believe in fairy tales. I believe in a realistic and rational approach. How can we say we don’t want the EU? Who will protect us? Do you know how many people work for German, French, Czech and Polish companies in our country? Do you think we haven’t heard threats about them withdrawing investments if we don’t recognize Kosovo’s independence? Do we have to sacrifice all that so we could tell someone they’re a ‘fairy tale’? We can’t be driven by emotions.”
So what is he to do? He says that he will maintain neutrality but warned that Serbia could become collateral damage anyway.
