U.S. Ahead of Vulin-Putin Meeting: We Are Strengthening Partnership with Serbia, Respect Its Support to Ukraine

State Department (Photo: YTPrintScreen)

Ahead of the meeting between Serbia’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Aleksandar Vulin and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for Sept. 4, the United States has reiterated its appreciation for Serbia’s support against the Russian aggression in Europe and the humanitarian aid it has provided to the Ukrainian people.

Asked to comment on the upcoming sit-down by the Voice of America, an unnamed spokesperson of the State Department said that the U.S.’s stance on Aleksandar Vulin is “well known” and that the politician is still subject to the sanctions the U.S. imposed against him in July 2023.

“Our focus remains on working with Serbia’s leaders to strengthen the strategic partnership between our countries, while Serbia continues to build a safe and secure future within a Europe immune to Russia’s political and economic blackmail,” the statement reads.

An identical response was issued by the State Department on Aug. 23, when Radio Free Europe inquired about Russian activist Andrei Pivovarov accusing Vulin of playing a role in his 2021 arrest in Russia.

The European Union issued its own statement regarding the Vulin-Putin meeting on Sept. 3, once again saying that maintaining ties with Russia during its aggression on Ukraine “is not compatible with the Union’s values or the accession process.”