Whoopsie.
Serbia’s president blamed being “tired” for accidentally backing a Ukrainian resolution at the UN General Assembly that blames Moscow for the Ukraine war.
President Aleksandar Vucic, who maintains good relations with Russia, walked back his support, saying he was supposed to join the 65 nations who abstained from the vote on Monday calling for Russia to “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces” from Ukraine.
“I believe that Serbia made a mistake today. I apologize to the citizens of Serbia for that, and I take the blame for that because I was probably tired and overwhelmed,” Vucic told Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS.
Serbia has maintained strong cultural and economic ties with Russia, with the Balkan country relying heavily on Moscow for its gas supply.
Vucic said he didn’t want Serbia to appear to pander to any superpower, with Serbia also abstaining from a US-backed Security Council resolution calling for an end to the war without naming Russia as the aggressor despite its decision to invade Ukraine.
The Balkan has repeatedly tried to tiptoe between maintaining good relations with Russia while also trying to win favor from the European Union, which Serbia has been trying to join since 2009.
Vucic said he expected his vote would likely cause him to lose “favor or political points in the EU.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was aware of Vucic’s error and accepted his apology.
“Of course, we heard it. Of course, we accepted it,” Peskov said in a statement. “Indeed, technical errors do happen and, of course, such a prompt reaction from the head of state is very appealing to us.”
The UN General Assembly rocked the world after the US joined 18 other nations, including Russia, in voting against the Ukrainian resolution.
“President Trump is committed to ending the Russia-Ukraine war and to a resolution that leads to a lasting peace, not just a temporary pause,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
