On 10 December, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, during a Brussels meeting with European leaders, slipped on a reference to ‘news from Moscow’, attracting media attention.
Meeting in Brussels
On Wednesday, 10 December, the chair of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met in Brussels. Costa later summarized the discussion on social media, highlighting the need to accelerate reforms, especially in rule‑of‑law and media freedom, stressing that enlargement is a geo‑strategic imperative and that Serbia must continue to align its foreign‑policy and security with the EU. He also noted Serbia’s actions to diversify energy sources and supply routes and to reduce dependence on Russia, whose reliability has been repeatedly undermined.
Serbian President’s Blunder
Just before the politicians posed for reporters, Vucic began to say, “I have news from Moscow about…”, when Ursula von der Leyen interjected, “Wait, wait, until…”, presumably because microphones and cameras were present.
Ongoing Peace Talks
It is unclear what the “news from Moscow” referred to. Vucic is one of the few European leaders who maintains a communication channel with the Kremlin, a channel the EU severed after Russia’s 2022 attack on Ukraine. While negotiations on ending the war continue, Le Monde reported on Friday that Ukraine had agreed to substantial concessions and the creation of a demilitarised zone in Donbas, claims that the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied, saying the journalist misinterpreted the statement.