Serbian president takes action after phone call with Putin

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he would suspend contracts for the supply of ammunition if officials suspected the ammunition could end up in Ukraine.

"In any case, I will issue an order and a warning that wherever there are suspicions or misuse by the so-called end user, i.e. front-line suppliers, we must be aware of this fact and ensure that such contracts are not carried out," said Aleksandar Vučić to Radio and Television Serbia.

"I discussed this issue with President Putin. I discussed it in the presence of several people from both delegations, and I also discussed it privately with him. I do not wish to disclose the details of our conversation publicly," said the Serbian president.

According to Vučić, a working group has been set up to establish the facts. Vučić disagreed with some reports regarding Serbian arms deliveries. According to him, there was no evidence that Serbian weapons could reach Ukraine via Africa.

He also confirmed that he had been accused of supplying weapons to Russia.

"Last week I was attacked by two ambassadors. They claimed that we were supplying ammunition to the Russian Federation via a Turkish company and that Serbian ammunition was being seen on the battlefield in Russia," he said.

"Our factories need to operate and survive. The government defence industry provides direct employment for around 23,000 to 24,000 people. There is also a private defence sector, and in total at least 25,000 people depend indirectly on this industry," said the Serbian president.

(SR - Source: 24UR/RT Serbia/RTV SLO - Photo: ©picture alliance / Anadolu | Sergey Bobylev / RIA Novosti)