France Arms Serbia, Ignoring Genocidal Past and Russian Ties
France Arms Serbia, Ignoring Genocidal Past and Russian Ties
Macron arms Serbia's autocrat, ignoring its Russian ties and genocidal past, undermining European security and principles in a desperate bid for influence.
Emmanuel Macron’s two-day visit to Belgrade is more than a diplomatic engagement—it’s a reckless and dangerous gambit that undermines the very principles he claims to champion. As of today, August 30th, Macron is wrapping up a visit that has seen him offer France’s advanced military technology to Aleksandar Vucic, a leader who embodies the dark, genocidal legacy of the Balkans’ bloodiest conflicts.
Vucic, a former mouthpiece for Slobodan Milosevic’s regime, a regime responsible for the deaths of over 250,000 people across the Balkans in the 1990s, is now being rewarded with a fleet of 12 Rafale fighter jets. This is not just any arms deal; it’s a monumental betrayal of European values. Macron, who likes to present himself as the guardian of democracy and human rights, is providing military support to a man whose hands are stained with the blood of genocide, a man whose regime was built on the ashes of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo
Serbia, under Vucic’s rule, is anything but a democratic state. The December 2023 elections were marred by widespread fraud, ensuring Vucic's grip on power. This is a regime that continues to claim Kosovo as an integral part of its territory, stoking nationalist flames and keeping the region on a knife’s edge. Yet Macron, in his desperation to secure a deal, is all too willing to overlook these inconvenient truths.
France’s president isn’t just arming an authoritarian leader—he’s arming a nation that serves as a strategic outpost for Russian influence in Europe. Serbia hosts the largest Russian espionage and disinformation hub in the region, a fact well known to Western intelligence. Vucic’s Serbia is a conduit for Kremlin propaganda and a base for Wagner Group recruitment, directly feeding Putin’s war machine in Ukraine. By handing over advanced Rafale jets, Macron isn’t just making a deal—he’s compromising European security and stability.
In his press conference, Macron had the audacity to defend Serbia’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia, stating,
“We have no lesson to teach... If Serbia were in Europe, I would say, it's not good that you don't do the sanctions. It is not in the European Union, so it is sovereign on its sanction policy. And that's a good thing.”
This spineless rhetoric from a leader who is supposed to be championing European unity is nothing short of cowardice. By pandering to Vucic and his regime, Macron is not only legitimising Serbia’s dangerous alignment with Moscow but is also sending a clear message that European principles are negotiable when there’s money on the table.
Vucic’s Serbia, with its deep ties to Russia and its refusal to join the sanctions against Putin, is a rogue state within Europe. It’s a nation that consistently undermines European security, a nation that harbours and nurtures Kremlin-backed operations aimed at destabilising the continent. And yet, Macron is there, shaking hands and signing deals, all the while turning a blind eye to the very real threat that Serbia poses to European stability.
This is not the first time Macron has shown a disturbing willingness to appease authoritarian regimes, but it is perhaps his most blatant betrayal of the values he claims to defend. By arming Serbia, Macron is empowering a leader who has never renounced the genocidal policies of his political mentor. He is bolstering a regime that uses nationalism as a weapon, one that has repeatedly threatened the fragile peace in the Balkans.
Macron’s visit to Serbia should be remembered as a shameful chapter in his presidency—a moment when the leader of France chose to side with tyranny and aggression over justice and democracy. It is a decision that will haunt Europe, a decision that undermines the very foundations of European security. By empowering Vucic, Macron has not only betrayed the victims of the Balkan wars but has also set a dangerous precedent for how Europe deals with rogue states on its borders.
This is not diplomacy; it is a disgrace. And the repercussions of Macron’s decision will be felt far beyond the Balkans, as Europe grapples with the consequences of arming a regime that is anything but a friend to European values.
COVER PHOTO: On the sidelines of the European Political Community summit, French president Emmanuel Macron met Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic in the gardens of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock (near Oxford), UK, July 18, 2024. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP