100 Public Figures Sign Protest Statement over Invitation to Zelensky to Visit Serbia

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Exactly 100 public figures signed a statement protesting the inviting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pay an official visit to Serbia, describing him as "the main culprit for the tragic war between Russia and Ukraine, an exponent of NATO and the European Union (EU), whose presidential term has expired."

"Serbia was the first victim of the disastrous decision to continue NATO's expansion, while Ukraine is an even more tragic victim. It is a cynical reversal of the facts to accuse Russia of some kind of 'aggression' against Ukraine. On the contrary, Russia is the main barrier to the further eastward expansion of this aggressive and deadly relic of the Cold War, which perpetuates the spirit of the Third Reich. We believe that Russia is essentially waging the same kind of war it fought against Nazi Germany and its European vassals," the signatories said. The protest statement was sent on their behalf by independent MP Aleksandar Pavic who has recently left Branimir Nestorovic's We - Power of the People movement.

"The Serbian president's decision to invite the head of the Kyiv regime to visit Serbia could cause immeasurable national damage to the country because it could permanently undermine relations with a state that, as a member of the U.N. Security Council, has steadfastly defended Serbia's territorial integrity, as well as Republika Srpska's constitutional position under the Dayton Agreement. "Zelensky's visit would be yet another confirmation of how dangerous it is when one state body usurps powers that do not belong to it under the Constitution, and when the country's foreign policy is conducted contrary to the will of the overwhelming majority of the people," the signatories cautioned.

Several political parties have criticized Zelensky's announced visit to Serbia. The New Democratic Party of Serbia said on Aug. 7 that the visit is "in direct contradiction with state and national interests" and is part of "a broader geopolitical context in which the West is seeking to demonstrate that both countries are irreversibly on a Western course and that Russian influence in the Balkans must be further pushed out." The Movement of Socialists’ leader Aleksandar Vulin said that Zelensky's visit to Serbia is neither something Serbian citizens want nor something that the country's leadership needs.