PM: No change in position on Ukraine

PM: No change in position on Ukraine

BELGRADE -- Aleksandar Vučić said on Tuesday that Serbia's position on Ukraine remains unchanged, and that Serbia will not sever its friendly relations with Russia.

"Serbia is a sovereign and independent state that makes its own decisions. We are on the European path, but will not tear apart our ties and friendly relations with Russia," the prime minister told the RTS on the eve of his visits to France and Russia.

Vučić said earlier that Serbia supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, but will not impose sanctions on Russia.

Asked if it will be difficult to maintain that position, Vučić said that it was not always easy, "but we're not here to whine, but to solve problems."

"So far we have somehow managed, although everyone predicted that we would not succeed. We even managed to build a more favorable, stronger, and more respected position for our Serbia," Vučić said before his trip to France on Wednesday.

The prime minister announced he would on July 7 and 8 meet with Russia's president and prime minister in Moscow to discuss bilateral cooperation and all major issues in relations between Serbia and Russia.

"Relations are friendly, but they have some problems with us because of our debt, and we have some questions. I hope that we can solve many of these things, and I believe that in the future our relations will further improve," Vučić said.

He noted that while in France, he would discuss relations between the two countries, economic cooperation, and EU integrations.