Serbia has been discreetly increasing ammunition sales to western countries, ultimately bolstering Ukraine’s defense, despite being one of only two European nations not joining sanctions against Russia, the Financial Times reports.
The ammunition from Serbia is especially important because Ukraine has been struggling to find sufficient ammunition for its outgunned frontline soldiers, while Russia has no problems with this, having secured a steady flow of weapons supplies from its authoritarian allies, North Korea and Iran.
Estimates shared with FT suggest Serbia’s ammo exports reaching Ukraine via third parties total around €800mn since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, a figure President Aleksandar Vučić indicated was broadly accurate.
“Yes, we do export our ammunition,” Vučić told the FT. “We cannot export to Ukraine or to Russia.. but we have had many contracts with Americans, Spaniards, Czechs, others. What they do with that in the end is their job.” He added, “Even if I know [where the ammunition ends up], that’s not my job. My job is to secure the fact that we deal legally with our ammunition, that we sell it.”
Serbia, which is neither a NATO nor EU member, has long had a sentimental attachment to Russia while resenting the west after NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign. However, Vučić has resisted pressure to adopt Russia sanctions, even as he says he is committed to Serbia joining the EU.
Analysts say that for the west, securing support for Ukraine has become more important than pushing Serbia on democratic reforms. “Vučić sweeps it under the carpet that there is support — but not directly — to Ukraine,” said Ivan Vejvoda, a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.
According to Vučić, Serbia has a golden opportunity as its arms are cheaper than in the west, and its overall ammo exports could increase. Serbian finance minister Siniša Mali said the defense industry, employing 20,000 people in the country of 7mn, could expand rapidly.
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