Vucic faces EU backlash over planned attendance at Russia’s May 9 celebrations

Caliber ^ | 4/30/2025 | Tamilla Hasanova

[marcusmaximus]

The European Commission has issued a warning to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that his expected visit to Russia for the May 9 Victory Day celebrations could seriously complicate Serbia’s accession process to the European Union.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos conveyed this message during her recent visit to Belgrade, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

According to European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier, the warning was communicated directly to the Serbian president.

“We warned Serbia that a visit to Moscow could complicate the process of negotiations and preparations for joining the EU. We expect Serbia to confirm its strategic priorities,” Mercier told reporters during a briefing in Brussels on April 30.

He emphasised that the European Commission maintains a clear position that EU candidate countries "should not continue relations with Russia as if nothing has happened," referring to Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas issued a broader warning, stating that EU leaders and candidates who decide to attend the May 9 event in Russia would face consequences. She stressed that attending such commemorations under the current geopolitical circumstances would be incompatible with the EU’s collective stance toward Moscow.

[LukeL]

If you go to Russia we will bomb you like it’s 1999.

[Who is John Galt?]

[marcusmaximus]

Wesley Clark and Douglas Macgregor were not available for comment…

[LukeL]

If we listened to them European would be a radioactive wasteland.

[marcusmaximus]

Douglas Macgregor loved him them cluster bombs back in the day.

[Bobbyvotes]

Europeans suffer from fake superiority complex.

[LukeL]

Death to Serbia, all hail the Islamic state of Kosovo. s/

[dfwgator]

Kosovo is Serbia!

[Robert DeLong]

The final screams of a dying regime, that is unaware that they are dying, sadly enough.

[marcusmaximus]

Back when Douglas Macgregor and Wesley Clark tried to start WWIII at the Pristina airport.

[LukeL]

I am so confused, so you were against attacking Russia in Perstina, but now want to attack Russia over another non NATO war?

[Wallace T.]

Serbia, Kosovo, and Moldova are the only holdouts in Europe to NATO. Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria are officially neutral but they are de facto NATO allies. Ireland depends on Britain and the United States for protection and its economy is tied to the UK and the EU. Switzerland and Austria are entirely surrounded by NATO members and both are economic satellites of Germany, the leader of the EU. It is understandable why Russia does not trust the European nations. In 1914, when Austria threatened Serbia with invasion, Russia intervened to protect that Balkan country. The Serbs are grateful to Russia for that intervention, although it triggered World War I.

[dfwgator]

Austria was more at fault for WWI than Germany.

[marcusmaximus]

I don’t want to attack Russia. Clark and Macgregor went psycho back then. Funny how Macgregor conveniently doesn’t talk about his NATO cluster bomb days.

[Robert DeLong]

Douglas Macgregor was & remains against this conflict ever being started by the fools, Biden & the EU. Wesley Clark's take. Not sure why Marcus mentioned Clark in conjunction with Macgregor, as they were divided over the conflict, at least at one point in time. Perhaps Clark changed his tune later on

[LukeL]

What do you think will happen when NATO troops enter Ukraine?

[marcusmaximus]

Macgregor was Clark’s number one guy back then and was the architect of NATO’s air war against Serbia. Macgregor was a big fan of cluster bombs.

[marcusmaximus]

NATO troops won’t enter Ukraine.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

---- "Europeans suffer from fake superiority complex."

Another view:

“500 million Europeans are asking 300 million Americans to defend them against 140 million Russians. [...] Europe today lacks the belief that we are truly a global force.”

Polish PM Donald Tusk, speaking before his flight to London for the European Ukraine summit: X, 2 March 2025.

“Ask not of America what it can do for our security. Ask yourselves what we can do for our own security,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country holds the EU presidency, said, paraphrasing a quote from U.S. President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961.

EU needs to end its military dependency on the US and arm itself ‘to survive,’ says Tusk AP, 22 January 2025

Most of the Europeans we have known think "European leaders" are foolish and wannabees.