"We Are Innocent as a Lamb": Serbian President Refutes Reports of Ammunition Supply to Ukraine or Russia

Sunday, 5 March 2023

On 5 March, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić refuted the statements on supply of Serbian ammunition to Ukraine or Russia.

According to Vučić, not a single item of Serbian weapons or ammunition has been sold to Russia or Ukraine, and the ones who claim otherwise are "liars and should be ashamed, because they harm Serbia".

"For Serbia, according to international law, there are so-called authorised consumers, and Serbia can export only to such countries. We have done everything in accordance with the law, we are innocent as a lamb," Danas quotes Vučić at the UN conference in Qatar.

Regarding acquisition of weapons export from Serbia to Ukraine via Türkiye, he said that Serbia is additionally protected.

"We have added [a regulation – ed.] that it is impossible to export the ammunition we have given to Türkiye without our consent," Vučić said, noting that Serbia "did not force anyone to go to war".

In early March, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Serbia handed over thousands of rockets to Ukraine.

Zakharova cited media reports that a Serbian state-owned arms factory recently supplied about 3,500 missiles for the Grad multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) to both Russian and Ukrainian troops. The 122mm missiles were allegedly delivered to Ukraine via Türkiye and Slovakia.

Serbian Defence Minister Miloš Vučević denied the country exported the missiles to Ukraine but left open the possibility they could have gotten there via a third party.

Zakharova added that the possible arming of Ukraine represented a "serious question" for Serbian-Russian relations.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić said Belgrade does not supply weapons to Ukraine.

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