Aleksandar Vucic, the president of Serbia, met with Vladimir Putin in 2019 in Belgrade. Serbia’s potential European Union membership may be at risk if President Vucic attends Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day parade in Russia next month. Reports from Russian state media suggest that Vucic will be among the foreign dignitaries present, contributing military equipment to the event on May 9. European officials have cautioned Vucic that his participation would violate the EU’s membership criteria and jeopardize Serbia’s EU aspirations. There are concerns that attending the parade could signal a shift away from EU alignment. The May Day parade, a tradition from the Soviet era, continues under Putin’s rule. EU foreign ministers have raised objections to member states participating in the Moscow event, citing Russia’s ongoing conflict in Europe. Serbia’s efforts to balance relations between Brussels and Moscow have complicated its EU accession talks, particularly due to its perceived alignment with Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The EU has urged member states to refrain from attending the Victory Day ceremony in Moscow, which marks the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in WWII. Slovakia, a country with close ties to Moscow, has been invited to the event, but some EU leaders, including Hungary’s Viktor Orban, will not be in attendance. EU officials emphasize solidarity with Ukraine and urge visits to Kyiv to demonstrate support.
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