Analyst: Vucic Afraid to Take Stand on Ukraine Crisis for International and Internal Reasons

Vuk Vuksanovic (Photo: printscreen/youtube)

A researcher at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, Vuk Vuksanovic, has said that Belgrade still has not taken a stance on the crisis in Ukraine because Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is afraid to do so for international and internal reasons.

Late on Feb. 24, Vuksanovic told BETA that Vucic was afraid of "angering Russia because of the issue of Kosovo, and because of the agreement on gas prices [made] in November." He pointed out that "Vucic (who is also the president of the Serbian Progressive Party) is afraid of the public at home and his own voters the most."

"The international risks are great, but the internal risks are what make him sweat the most," he said, adding that Vucic feared that any condemnation of Russia, due to intense sentiments among the Serbian public and especially among his voters, "would alienate them."

In his words, he is particularly scared of that because of the upcoming elections "and the fact that some other right-wing groups might take over" that portion of the electorate.

He also underscored that, according to media reports, Vucic had scheduled a second National Security Council session. "Given that he is under strong pressure from the West and that a session of the National Security Council has been scheduled for the second time, that tells mi that this time he is under the greatest possible pressure, incomparably stronger and greater than [what] he faced in 2014 and that this time it will be very difficult for him to say no to the West," said Vuksanovic.