According to a classified Pentagon document, Serbia has agreed to supply arms to Kiev or has already sent them, despite the country’s professed neutrality in the Ukraine war and refusal to sanction Russia for its 2022 invasion.
The document, a summary of European governments’ responses to Ukraine’s requests for military training and “lethal aid” or weapons, was one of dozens posted online in recent weeks in what could be the most serious leak of US secrets in years.
The document is marked Secret and NOFORN, which means it cannot be distributed to foreign intelligence services or militaries. It’s dated March 2 and has the Joint Chiefs of Staff seal embossed on it.
Reuters could not independently verify the document’s authenticity.
Serbia’s Defense Minister Milos Vucevic dismissed the document’s assertions as “untrue” in a statement on Wednesday.
“Serbia did not, nor will it be selling weapons to the Ukrainian nor the Russian side, nor to countries surrounding that conflict,” Vucevic said.
Entitled “Europe|Response to Ongoing Russia-Ukraine Conflict,” the Pentagon document in chart form lists the “assessed positions” of 38 European governments in response to Ukraine’s requests for military assistance.
According to the graph, Serbia declined to provide training to Ukrainian forces but had committed to sending or had already supplied lethal aid. It also stated that Serbia has the political will and military capability to provide Ukraine with weapons in the future.
In his statement, Vucevic said there was a possibility that Serbia-made weaponry and ordnance could “magically appear” in the conflict, but “that has absolutely nothing to do with Serbia.”
“Someone clearly wants to drag Serbia into that conflict, but we are diligently maintaining our policies,” he added.
The office of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters, but the Serbian foreign ministry issued a statement denying that the country is supplying military equipment to Ukraine.
The Pentagon did not respond immediately to Reuters’ questions about the document’s reference to Serbia, and it has previously declined to comment on the leaked documents.