Serbia’s Vučić warns Ukraine war far from over

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he does not expect a near-term end to the war in Ukraine and warned of a challenging period ahead, including the coming winter.

“I am not sure that the war will end soon, and I fear that a difficult winter lies ahead for both Ukraine and all of us. I do not see a path to a quick end to the war. (...) I cannot make assessments or assume whether the war in Ukraine will end soon. Serbia and the entire international community very much want this,” Vučić said, according to UNIAN.

Speaking after talks in Belgrade with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Serbian leader said the two sides did not discuss military cooperation under current conditions, though he did not rule out such discussions in the future.

“We did not discuss any military cooperation today, in the current conditions. What will happen after the end of the war is another question,” he said.

Vučić also reiterated Serbia’s support for Ukraine’s path toward integration with the European Union, pledging assistance in advancing accession talks.

“We want Ukraine to open all clusters [of EU accession negotiations] as soon as possible and close them as quickly as possible. We have had no problems with this and will not have any in the future. On the contrary, we will do everything in our power to help Ukraine on its European path,” he said.

By Tamilla Hasanova