Serbia is a Russian ally and will never impose sanctions against Moscow or join NATO, the Balkan nation\u2019s deputy prime minister said Wednesday as he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The remarks by\u00a0Aleksandar Vulin, a former intelligence chief who is under U.S. sanctions, reflect persistent close relations between Belgrade and Moscow despite Serbia\u2019s proclaimed bid to join the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great honor for me to have the privilege to talk to you,\u201d Vulin told Putin. \u201cPlease believe me when I say it is a great encouragement for all Serbs, wherever they may live.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over\u00a0the war in Ukraine\u00a0though it has condemned Moscow\u2019s aggression. Populist President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 has said that imposing the sanctions wasn\u2019t in Serbia\u2019s national interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSerbia is not only a strategic partner of Russia, Serbia is also Russia\u2019s ally,\u201d Vulin said. \u201cThis is why pressure on us by the West is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vulin\u2019s meeting with Putin in Russia\u2019s far-eastern city of Vladivostok came just days after\u00a0French President Emmanuel Macron\u00a0visited Serbia when Belgrade signed an agreement to buy French Rafale fighter jets, a move that was seen as possible a shift away from Moscow.\u00a0German Chancellor Olaf Scholz\u00a0earlier also visited Belgrade for the signing of a tentative EU deal with Serbia on raw materials needed in green transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two met in Vladivostok on the sidelines of an economic forum designed to attract foreign investment and showcase Russia to them. Greeting Vulin as the two sat down for talks, Putin expressed hope that Serbia\u2019s deputy prime minister will be able to \u201ctake a close look and evaluate the possibilities of cooperation with such a large and promising region\u201d as Russia\u2019s far east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vulin told Putin that Serbia\u2019s close ties with Russia will continue in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSerbia led by Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 is a Serbia that will never become a member of NATO, which will never impose sanctions against the Russian Federation and which will never allow its territory to be used for any anti-Russian actions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSerbia has not become and will not become part of anti-Russian hysteria,\u201d Vulin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Vulin last July, accusing him of involvement in illegal arms shipments, drug trafficking and misuse of public office and aiding Russia\u2019s influence in the volatile Balkans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vulin has received two medals of honor from Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. sanctions against individuals and companies in the Balkans are designed to counter attempts to undermine peace and stability in the volatile region and Russia\u2019s \u201cmalign\u201d influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The West has stepped up efforts to lure the troubled region into its fold, fearing that Russia could stir unrest to avert attention from the war in Ukraine. The Balkans went through multiple wars in the 1990s, and tensions still persist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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