BELGRADE: The progress of Russian forces in the zone of the special military operation is making NATO leadership very nervous, Serbian Pre...
BELGRADE: The progress of Russian forces in the zone of the special military operation is making NATO leadership very nervous, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.
"Russian forces’ progress on the frontline, which was acknowledged by the NATO secretary general and must be acknowledged by anyone who is realistic about the situation, is obvious after all," he told reporters, citing Russia’s advance in Krasnoarmeysk, Krasny Liman, Kupyansk, Volchansk, Gulyaipole, and near Seversk and Konstantinovka.
"When you look at how the situation is developing, it becomes clear that anxiety is growing and the only question is what will things look like in the long run," he said.
According to Vucic, NATO’s potential plans for so-called preemptive strikes on Russia pose a serious threat. "When I said that NATO is pondering such a scenario and is getting prepared for it while the other side is also preparing its potential response, everybody told me: don’t be such a drama queen, that’s only speculation. Regrettably, this is a reality we are living in," he noted.
He warned that Moscow may retaliate to such NATO strikes very harshly. "If preemptive strikes are delivered on Russia, I would not be surprised to see Russia retaliate much tougher than it has been doing in Ukraine until now, including the use of tactical nuclear warheads or even something more powerful," Vucic said, adding that he thinks Moscow has so far held back from going to such extremes.
"Don’t forget that Moscow has been showing certain restraint until now because they look upon the Ukrainians as their friends and brothers," he noted. However, in his words, he doesn’t want to interfere into what he describes as a "fratricidal" conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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