During her official visit to Belgrade on May 22, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, delivered a pointed message to Serbian leadership: Serbia must make a decisive choice between aligning with Western democratic values or maintaining its traditional ties to Russia. Her remarks underscored the growing tension between Serbia’s professed commitment to European integration and its geopolitical behaviour.
“Serbia faces a strategic, geostrategic choice, where it wants to be,” Kallas stated unequivocally. “Serbia’s European future depends on the values it chooses to uphold.”
The EU official’s comments followed Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s participation in Russia’s May 9 military parade in Moscow — an appearance that drew sharp criticism from Western officials amid the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. “I don’t understand why it is necessary to stand side by side with the person who is conducting this horrible war in Ukraine,” Kallas said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kallas noted that President Vučić attempted to explain his rationale during their private meeting, describing the conversation as “very extensive.” While Serbia continues to declare its intention to join the European Union, Kallas emphasised that rhetorical commitments are insufficient without tangible policy alignment.
“Reforms are how Serbia will advance along its EU path,” she insisted. “There are no shortcuts for membership. Real progress must be made here in Belgrade.”
Vučić’s presence at the Moscow celebration, alongside leaders from 29 other countries, also triggered diplomatic consequences. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a formal demarche to representatives of all attending states, further highlighting the sensitivity of the issue on the international stage.
Kallas’ visit serves as a stark reminder that Serbia’s EU ambitions are being closely scrutinised, not only in terms of legal and institutional reform, but also about its foreign policy orientation. The path toward EU membership, she warned, demands coherence between declared goals and concrete action, particularly in the face of a war that has come to symbolise the wider global contest between authoritarianism and liberal democracy.
