Vučić: "I will lead the resistance against terror"; "We won't allow anyone to overturn the will of the people"

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“The blockaders’ slogan, ‘we know how,’ — they had no idea. Someone from outside deliberately told them to put that in the slogan in order to ‘show Serbs that we are going to destroy them once again.’”

“This is revenge against Serbia for not imposing sanctions on Russia,” Vučić concluded.

“You mentioned Milan St. Protić. When they don’t get a new position, they turn against you. You see, back then they told us — I remember all of them: Čović, Batić, Obradović, Djindjić... Do you remember the program ‘Kosovo and Metohija is a democratic issue for the West, and when we come to power we will convince them that it is Serbian territory and we will easily win.’ Second, when Koštunica was asked about The Hague, he tried to avoid the question, saying, ‘Don’t ask me, ask Milošević’... but he said that we would have nothing to do with it. What happened? The release of the Klečka killers continued. The looting began, right down to the cinemas. All the factories were privatized. I have always supported privatization, but the problem was that they did it to fill their own pockets, along with humiliations for Serbs. 

“When you do all of that, they carry out a pogrom in Kosovo and you remain silent. Suddenly we see our people suffering, from Lazarević and Pavković to all the honorable generals who defended our country. I never agreed to hand anyone over, even when they demanded it. Although I received a binding order from The Hague. And I withstood all the pressure. When a country is strong and has a strong leader, it can withstand that.”

“Everyone who went there for money knew that Montenegro had to leave. They all knew in advance, those who stuffed money into their jackets. And in the end, we were left behind, Montenegro left, and it was known that they would move on to Kosovo and Metohija. They did not wait for the elections to pass, just as they forced them to send Milošević away on Vidovdan. On that day, Serbia chose not an empire, but humiliation,” he added.

“Aleksandar, you will never forget this”

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“There was a gathering in Tirana, there were about 40 of us. The whole European Union was there, and Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Bateau, showed up. He socializes with everyone, but when something needs to be done for the more powerful countries, they tell him to raise a certain issue. He stood up, and we were all sitting close to one another, about 40 of us. He said, ‘Come on, Vučić, explain to us why you are the only smart person in Europe and refuse to impose sanctions on Russia.’ I did not expect that, and I know who told him to raise that question. At that moment I thought to myself, ‘What are you going to do now? You’re finished anyway, so at least leave this world with dignity’ — politically speaking. ‘When you, 23 out of 28, took 14 percent of our territory, did you ever ask me? Did you ever say, “We’re sorry, forgive us”? Why did you bomb us?’ At that moment I saw Meloni smiling, and from that point on I have had the best possible relationship with her,” he said.

“Lavrov told me: ‘Aleksandar, you will never forget this, just as you will never forget what you did when they tried to label the Serbs as a genocidal people.’”

“I still believe that Serbia must strengthen its European path, but it must clearly state where the boundaries are. If I become prime minister, I will work on that,” he stressed.

Vučić said he knows which leaders have spoken with Putin by phone and that he told them so to their faces.

“With me, there must be discipline, order and work, while they don’t even know whom they will appoint as prime minister. But I know — it is Šoškić, who destroyed half of Serbia. Today people tell me just to get better; I would go even half-dead because I don’t want to miss it,” Vučić said regarding today’s visit.

As Vučić said, he once visited Putin at his home.

“Once I went to his home; he received me alone, just the two of us. He played the piano. We were without an interpreter. He accepted my gift — I brought him an icon. We talked; it was a difficult day for him. Something had happened in Moscow. And once again he showed respect. We went through a lot together — difficult, bad and good conversations — but we always showed mutual respect. Ukraine has done nothing wrong to us. They were under enormous pressure; Baerbock told them they would not receive money and weapons unless they voted. They told me that themselves. They had to vote even though they did not want to. This was about Rwanda,” he said.

He expressed hope that the war in Ukraine could end within five or six months.

“Ukraine is a friendly country to us,” Vučić added.

“Trump is a charming man”

Speaking about Trump, he said the U.S. president is charming.

“Trump is charming, but when he decides something, he pushes it through to the end. But even that has its limits. I told him I would not accept an independent Kosovo. They chased me around the White House, but they were fair. They spent two and a half hours talking with us; four of the most important U.S. officials after Trump were there. And credit to them for that. They really worked hard. Americans are incredibly hardworking people, and that is why the Chinese are challenging them, because they are hardworking. We in Europe have lost that,” he said.

On good relations with European countries

“You have a leader like Narendra Modi, a man who has lifted India to new heights. India has become a power... No, no, start attacking him too. That has become fashionable. Look at what they did to China, to Xi Jinping. A man who is an extraordinary leader, a fantastic man, who brought China from an era of relative poverty to becoming the world’s first or second-largest power. And you talk about him disrespectfully because you think you are so smart. Don’t talk nonsense. They respect no one. Someone comes from Sweden, a deputy assistant to this or that... Come on, sister, now we’re going to talk about human rights and then go buy some dill. Baerbock comes, there isn’t even a carpet. And what are Annalena Baerbock and Xi Jinping doing today? I did not want to turn against the Germans, whatever they said about me. For many reasons. Germany employs 83,000 people here. We live off their factories; I will never forget that. Merkel did many good things, and we will need her in the future,” he said.

He added that he was also happy about his good relations with Macron, noting that Macron had always been, in one way or another, supportive of Serbia.

In closing, Vučić sent a message to all citizens of Serbia.

“I am proud of you. I want to thank all citizens, everyone who endured so much and fought for their country. And thank you to everyone who welcomes me — and who have welcomed me with even greater warmth and special emotion since I am no longer president. And I will lead the resistance against totalitarianism and terror, and we will fight and win! Tell everyone how important it is to show responsibility and not miss the opportunity to go to the polls. There will be a high turnout. But a lot of money has been invested in our country’s destruction, and with that high turnout, which is a good reflection of democracy, we should defeat them by a decisive margin under such circumstances! I love you very much. Thank you with all my heart. I will always stand with the people of Serbia. Thank you,” Vučić concluded.