Serbian President Says He Faces Protest Threats Over Arms Export Ban

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić says he is facing significant pressure both from abroad and within the country to allow the shipment of previously contracted arms deliveries, according to the newspaper Politika.

“It’s like something out of the movie Three Tickets to Hollywood — some report to the Americans and the British, others to the Russians, but no one is thinking about Serbia. Everyone wants to break Aleksandar Vučić’s back, because I don’t belong to either side. I have only one — the Serbian side,” he said.

“There’s been massive pressure to ship one, two, three, even 50 arms deliveries — because they’re under contract. But after I said ‘no,’ I was told there will be protests at defense industry factories in July to show me that exports must resume so workers can get paid — because that’s how they make a living,” Vučić explained.

Despite these demands, Vučić stressed that Serbia will not proceed with any of the agreed deliveries.

Going forward, arms exports will only be allowed based on decisions made by the National Security Council. The government will also introduce a system of “white,” “grey,” and “black” lists for potential buyers.

The remarks came shortly after Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed that Belgrade was using backchannels to export military equipment to Ukraine.

That same day, Vučić announced that Serbia had suspended all exports of ammunition.