UN must not be ‘stage where giants wrestle, smaller countries hold their breath,' says Serbia

“The UN should not be a stage where giants wrestle while smaller countries hold their breath,” Vucic said in his address to the General Assembly. “It should be a roundtable where every seat counts.”

He argued that countries of the Global South were “too often treated as chess pieces” and said it was time for them to show they could be “conveners, innovators, and guarantors of cooperation.”

“We may not have the loudest voice, but we often have the clearest vision, because we see both east and west at once,” Vucic said. “Our engagement with all partners does not mean blind agreement. It means respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and a belief that dialogue is stronger than division.”

Vucic also dispelled allegations that Serbia acts as a proxy for Moscow, pointing to speculation over the war in Ukraine. 

“For three and a half years, since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, we have been hearing stories that we, as an alleged Russian puppet, will attack someone in the region, which of course did not happen and will not happen,” he said.

“The only thing we have never heard is an apology from those who spread such falsehoods, and it is quite certain that we will never hear one,” he added.

He emphasised that Serbia remains committed to joining the European Union but would not allow its independence to be undermined. 

As war continues to test the world and the UN’s resolve, Vucic urged world leaders to hold their ground and abide by the organization’s charter. 

“The United Nations Charter was not written to serve one moment in history. It was written to withstand the test of time. In a world facing deep geopolitical fractures, the United Nations Charter remains the only framework capable of holding us together,” Vucic said.