The German magazine SPIEGEL, in its article entitled “European Friends of the Kremlin” addresses the demonstrations in Belgrade in support of the policy of Russian President Vladimir Putin seeking an answer to the question: “What are the reasons behind his?” and what game is Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic playing here?
The author Walter Mayr writes: “If there was an award for a city in Europe that could offer the most bizarre public spectacle these days, Belgrade would surely be at the top of the list. “Along with Russian flags, portraits of Putin and wooden crosses, thousands marched through the Serbian capital on March 4th to express solidarity with Kremlin leaders and support for their aggressive fight against Ukraine.”
In trying to explain this phenomenon, the author recalls Serbia’s traditionally close ties to “Mother Russia” and to the orthodox fraternal people in the East, but also mentions that all this is now being put to the test. It is further stated in the article, about the “tailing of President Aleksandar Vucic”, who on one hand is in favor of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but at the same time he does not want to join EU sanctions against Russia. He does not clearly criticize the apparently aggressive war, referring to “his country’s special relationship with Russia”, DW reports.
According to the author, this is increasingly a serious threat to security on the continent, which is also seen in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The possibility of Republika Srpska seceding from Bosnia-Herzegovina is constantly mentioned, which would jeopardize “the entire post-Yugoslav post-war, hard-working order,” Mayr said.
The fact that Vuçic, the president of a country that is a candidate for EU membership, has not yet received serious criticism from the European Commission can be understood as a reward for his cynical policy “, concludes Walter Mayr from the German Spiegel.