Russia appears to be irritated with Serbia. The cause of this friction stems from reports by some international media that Serbian weapons are ending up in Ukraine. In June, the “Financial Times” reported that evidence of Serbian weapons reaching the eastern front lies in Belgrade’s sales of arms to Western countries. This has not gone unnoticed by Vladimir Putin’s associates in Moscow, who are preparing to admonish the Serbian president. At that time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted by signaling that Russia would seek detailed explanations from President Aleksandar Vučić.
However, signs of tension continue to emerge and re-emerge. According to Serbian media, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandar Grushko left Serbia immediately after meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. According to information obtained by “Nova” from a government source, the guest from Moscow canceled previously agreed obligations in the Serbian capital, with the reason being Vučić’s response to the question of how Serbian weapons are ending up on the Ukrainian front.
Meeting Behind the Scenes
The meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandar Grushko passed without the usual media fanfare, limited to a single post on Instagram, where it was mentioned with a forced smile that the meeting was “good.” Shortly after, it was revealed that the meeting did not go as well as Vučić described and that the problem arose when the topic of Serbian weapons in Ukraine was raised.
According to the government source, the guest from Russia did not accept the argument that Serbia has no influence over where its weapons end up after their sale. “After the meeting, Grushko was dissatisfied, decided to leave Serbia early, and canceled the obligations planned after the meeting with Vučić,” the source explained.
The source also noted that the Russian side was displeased with the fact that Grushko’s two-day visit passed without adequate media coverage, which official Belgrade explained by saying they were under significant pressure from the West.
No Communication with Putin
The interlocutors add that the “communication problems” that arose during the meeting with Grushko are not the only issues, and unlike Deputy Sergei Lavrov, with whom Vučić managed to speak, he has not been able to have the same luck with Vladimir Putin.
“Vučić has called Putin three times, but he has not wanted to respond. It is a kind of message, and everyone understands it very well. There have been attempts to improve communication through Aleksandar Babakov, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma, but these have been unsuccessful,” the source emphasized.
The interlocutors also point out that, despite the burden on Vučić that his Russian counterpart does not want to communicate with him, he uses this fact in communication with Western diplomats and statesmen:
“He often emphasizes in these meetings that he is at a distance and has neither heard nor seen Putin since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, except for one occasion in Beijing where they both participated in the Chinese Belt and Road initiative forum.”
Serbian Weapons in Ukraine
According to the source, Grushko asked Vučić for information on how Serbian-made weapons are ending up on the Ukrainian front.
“He expressed the position that it is unacceptable for Moscow that countries it considers friends are siding with their enemies in this way. On the other hand, the Serbian president told Grushko that the Serbian side did not send weapons to Ukraine and that this type of trade has been avoided since the beginning of the conflict. Vučić said that the weapons, although they have reached the front, came through other countries, not directly through Serbia, and that they cannot be responsible for the fact that another country decided to sell weapons it had previously bought from our country,” he explained.
What remains surprising is that Grushko did not fully accept the argument presented by the president.
Source: Botasot.info
