US ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill said on Ukraine’s independence day that he hoped the war in the country would bring Serbia closer to Europe and the US.
“Just like the war has brought together the EU and the US, I hope it will bring Serbia closer not only to Europe but to the US, too. We can’t let this type of aggression survive, we can’t allow for a situation in the world where a neighbour can attack a neighbour,” Hill said in a written statement.
As he put it, Ukraine enjoyed the support of the entire world, the US in particular.
“What Serbia should do, and how the citizens of Serbia might react, should depend on Serbia, of course. Siding with Ukraine against Russia at this point puts us all on the right side of history because Ukraine will surely triumph,” the ambassador said.
The evening before, in an interview with N1 Television, Hill said that “Serbia needs to understand where it wants to be in a few years and it needs to understand who its friends are and who its friends are not.”
“Frankly I don’t see a lot of evidence for the idea that Russia is any kind of friend. It has Serbia to do things for their own, that is, for Russia’s interest and I’m not sure that’s really frankly speaking in Serbia’s interest,” the ambassador said.
The comments come after Serbian minister Aleksander Vulin visited his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, resulting in a slew of positive comments and platitudes.
Vulin said that Serbia “does not want to forget the centuries’ old brotherhood” with Russia, expressing “deep gratitude” to Moscow for “consistent respect for the sovereignty and integrity of Serbia and for refusing to recognise the false state of Kosovo.”
Vulin described Lavrov as “a true friend,” adding that he “regretted deeply” that other states had prevented his visit to Belgrade last June and expressed hopes of a future visit.
The comments received widespread criticism with many questioning why Vulin visited in the first place.
