Vucic: In case of preemptive NATO strikes, Russia will respond even more strongly

BELGRADE - In case of preemptive NATO strikes on Russia, Russia will respond even more strongly and will not refrain from using even tactical nuclear weapons, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday.

"When I said NATO was considering that and preparing for that, just like I knew the other side was also preparing for a potential response - which is not some kind of a big secret - everybody said 'There he is, the drama queen is making things up again.' Unfortunately, that is the reality we live in," Vucic told reporters at the Presidency of Serbia, adding that Russia was holding back in the conflict with Ukraine as it saw Ukrainians as "friends and brothers."

"In case of preemptive strikes on Russia, I would not at all be surprised by a Russian response that would be incomparably stronger than any we have seen in Ukraine to date, including tactical nuclear missiles, or perhaps something even more powerful than that. So, in the world we live in, I cannot rule out anything anymore," Vucic said when asked to comment on statements by NATO chiefs about plans to attack Russia.

He said they were increasingly nervous in the wake of Russia's considerable successes in the Ukraine war.

Vucic said he did not want to interfere in the conflict between Russians and Ukrainians, but said it was a fratricidal one.