A senior US congressman is accusing Aleksandar Vučić of turning Serbia into a platform for Russian terrorism and sabotage in Europe.
Republican Congressman Joe Wilson directly accused the Serbian president of transforming Serbia into a hub for recruiting and training operatives involved in Russian-linked sabotage.
“Vučić has turned Serbia into a hub for recruitment and training for Russian terrorism and sabotage,” Wilson wrote on X.
Wilson was referring to a suspect in an alleged failed Russian attack in Germany who reportedly travelled from Leipzig to Serbia.
The accusation comes as European governments are increasingly warning about Russia’s expanding campaign of sabotage and hybrid warfare across Europe. Germany has blamed Moscow for a thwarted explosives-laden drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, while Denmark has accused Russian intelligence services of recruiting citizens for potential sabotage operations.
Wilson’s message to Belgrade is blunt: Serbia cannot claim to be moving toward the West while continuing to serve as a convenient bridge for Russian influence and operations.
The South Carolina Republican has repeatedly attacked Vučić’s policy of balancing between the West, Moscow, Beijing and Tehran. In July, he called on Serbia to break its dependence on Russia and move decisively toward the EU and NATO.
Wilson has now gone further, warning that Serbia under Vučić is becoming a security problem rather than simply a country maintaining questionable foreign-policy ties.
And Washington is not only talking.
Wilson and Democratic Congressman William Keating recently introduced the bipartisan SRBIJA Act, which would increase scrutiny of Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence in Serbia and provide for potential sanctions and visa restrictions against individuals undermining democracy and regional stability.
The message from Wilson is increasingly difficult for Belgrade to ignore:
Choose the West or continue drifting toward Moscow, Beijing and Tehran.
For Vučić, the question is no longer whether Washington has noticed Serbia’s “balancing” act.
Washington clearly has.
