European nations are arming themselves at an alarming rate, Aleksandar Vucic has warned

A direct military confrontation between Western nations and Russia is becoming unavoidable, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has warned, citing widespread rearmament efforts across Europe.

Speaking during a televised interview on Tuesday, Vucic said the possibility of such a war is no longer hypothetical, pointing to an acceleration of military spending. The European Union seeks rapid militarization over a perceived threat from Russia, which Moscow has dismissed as misleading political rhetoric aimed at distracting from internal economic troubles.

"My conclusion is that there is a growing certainty that a war between Europe and Russia will happen," Vucic said. "They are preparing for war - or for defense, as they call it. Romania, Poland, Finland, smaller countries too. And the Russians as well."

"Everyone is preparing," the president continued. "What can come from that? Only conflict." He added that Serbia itself is caught "between a rock and a hard place," and therefore must also strengthen its military readiness.

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Although Serbia continues to pursue EU membership, its application has effectively been frozen due to Belgrade's refusal to adopt sanctions and other measures targeting Moscow. The two nations maintain deep cultural and historical ties, and Russia remains one of Serbia's key energy suppliers.

Moscow has repeatedly accused NATO and the EU of provoking instability in Europe through continued expansion and by ignoring Russian proposals for a shared continental security architecture, which it says could have prevented the current confrontation over Ukraine.

(RT.com)