Photo: Emil VashAfter twenty years, Serbia is again on Washington's list of priorities because it is the only one in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia. The consequences will not be long in coming
Karen Donfried, assistant to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, arrives in Belgrade. Before her, Senators Chris Mardy, Gene Sheikin and Tom Tillis were here. And as things stand, there will soon be Blinken himself.
These Americans are not visiting Belgrade for the nightlife. The reason is quite prosaic - Serbia has again become a case. Older readers remember the meetings between Slobodan Milošević and Richard Holbrooke, special envoy of Bill Clinton; the younger ones could remember the name of a current American diplomat. Americans used to come there because of the wars in the former Yugoslavia, and now they are brought by the fact that Serbia is the only country in Europe that did not impose sanctions on Russia after the attack on Ukraine.
If Aleksandar Vučić remains consistent, he will never do that. He justified his position by protecting vital national interests. If he is referring to Moscow's support regarding Kosovo, he is talking in vain - Russia is no longer able to help itself, let alone Serbia. If it is about the preferential price of gas, it will again turn out to be double bare - what it saves on the bridge, Vučić will pay heavily on the bridge.
Because American diplomats do not speak quietly, nor do they hide their beatings behind their backs - to paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt. They clearly remind that Serbia long ago undertook to align its policy with the European Union, thinking primarily of imposing sanctions on Russia. Otherwise, she will be well on her way to being treated as a Russian proxy. Namely, Donfird comes to regional capitals to thank the West for their support, promising European integration, but only in Belgrade does he make demands.
The issue is not in the global importance of Serbia, but in the prestige of Washington and Brussels. Therefore, statements that he will not choose between the West and Russia could soon be interpreted as Vučić's clear choice. As he goes along, he can ask the new American ambassador Christopher Hill - he spent a lot of time with Holbrook at Milosevic's cannabet.
The President of Serbia has two options. The first is to make the country a case again, an authoritarian state-pariah outside the environment; in this way, his power will never be threatened in the elections. Another option is to do what he has to do in the best interest of the citizens, renouncing his current policy and sacrificing some ratings. That would be a real statesmanship, a quality that Aleksanadar Vučić has never shown until now.
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