Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to prioritize a ceasefire in Ukraine, arguing that terms can be negotiated later.
Vucic, speaking to a German outlet ahead of Scholz’s visit to Belgrade, emphasized the need for immediate negotiations to end the conflict. He stated that the situation in Ukraine will only worsen and advocated for a ceasefire, regardless of the terms, which could be addressed later.
“The situation in Ukraine will only get worse,” Vucic told the outlet. “If Scholz really wanted to hear what I think, I would tell him: Make a ceasefire deal as soon as you can, no matter what the terms. You can discuss the terms later.”
Vucic, who briefly spoke with Scholz at the recent European Political Community summit in the UK, described the prevailing sentiment as a “NATO+ meeting” where the focus was on Ukraine’s victory.
“No one was saying how to solve the problem with dialogue,” Vucic told Serbian media after the meeting. “It was all just ‘Ukraine must win, Russia must be defeated,’ and that’s it.”
Vucic expressed his intention to advocate for a more peaceful approach, emphasizing the importance of peace, but acknowledged that his perspective might not be well-received. He has maintained Serbia’s neutrality in the conflict and resisted EU pressure to impose sanctions on Russia.
An attempt to broker a ceasefire was recently made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, following his “peace tour” of Ukraine, Russia, China, and the United States. However, Ukraine, the US, and the EU rejected Orban’s proposal.
On Tuesday, European Council President Charles Michel told Orban that he lacked the authority to act on behalf of the European Union in this matter. Michel also stressed that any discussions regarding Ukraine must involve Ukraine, reiterating support for President Zelensky’s peace formula, which essentially demands Russia’s surrender.
Moscow has dismissed this formula as absurd and put forth its own terms, including recognition of territorial changes and a commitment from Ukraine not to join NATO.