Serbian leader to attend Moscow Victory Day parade despite EU warnings

MILAN – Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he plans to attend Russia’s Victory Day military parade in Moscow next month despite warnings from European Union officials that such a visit risks hindering the country’s ambitions to join the bloc.

This year’s festivities will involve the participation and planning, for the first time, of Serbian military units in the parade, which commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Associated Press reported.

Earlier this month, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas called on European governments not to attend, as doing so would effectively show support for the Kremlin and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Kallas restated her position this week, telling reporters that “any participation in the May 9th parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side, considering that Russia is waging a full-scale war in Europe.”

The Ukrainian government has invited European leaders to Kyiv on the same day.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has previously said he would join Vucic in traveling to Moscow.

In previous years, several countries have sent delegations to the parade, including leaders from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Laos, and Cuba.

The West’s support for the defense of Ukraine has experienced a dramatic shift since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump has sided with Putin in explaining the cause of the war, and his government is turning off the spigot of military aid that sent tens of billions of dollars’ worth of equipment to Kyiv.

While remaining outside NATO and pursuing a policy of military neutrality, Serbia has expressed interest in joining the European Union.

The government last year was seen as moving closer to Europe, at least in matters of military equipment, when officials committed to buying 12 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation

The contract for nine single-seater Rafales and three two-seaters was reported to be worth €2.7 billion (US$3 billion).

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——塞尔维亚总统亚历山大·武契奇表示，尽管欧盟官员警告称，此举可能会阻碍该国加入欧盟的愿望，但他计划下个月前往莫斯科参加俄罗斯的胜利日阅兵式。

据美联社报道，今年的庆祝活动将首次有塞尔维亚军事单位参与和策划阅兵式，以纪念纳粹德国的战败。

本月初，欧盟高级外交官卡娅·卡拉斯呼吁欧洲各国政府不要出席，因为这样做实际上会表明对克里姆林宫和俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的支持。

卡拉斯本周重申了自己的立场，她告诉记者，“考虑到俄罗斯正在欧洲发动全面战争，欧洲方面不会轻视任何参与5月9日在莫斯科举行的阅兵或庆祝活动的行为。”

乌克兰政府已邀请欧洲领导人于当日访问基辅。

斯洛伐克总理罗伯特·菲佐此前曾表示，他将与武契奇一同前往莫斯科。

往年，包括阿塞拜疆、白俄罗斯、塔吉克斯坦、哈萨克斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦、土库曼斯坦、老挝和古巴在内的几个国家都派代表团参加了阅兵式。

自美国总统唐纳德·特朗普就职以来，西方对乌克兰国防的支持发生了巨大转变。

特朗普在解释战争起因时站在了普京一边，他的政府正在停止向基辅提供价值数百亿美元的军事援助。

尽管塞尔维亚不属于北约成员国，奉行军事中立政策，但它已表示有兴趣加入欧盟。

去年，政府官员承诺从法国达索航空公司购买12架“阵风”战斗机，这被视为政府在军事装备方面向欧洲靠拢的举措之一。

据报道，九架单座“阵风”战斗机和三架双座“阵风”战斗机的合同价值 27 亿欧元（30 亿美元）。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。