Serbian President Vucic, invited by Putin to the BRICS summit, sent in his place Deputy Prime Minister Vulin, who “decides nothing” - political scientist • The Insider • RIMA

Serbian President Vucic, invited by Putin to the BRICS summit, sent in his place Deputy Prime Minister Vulin, who “decides nothing” - political scientist

Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Alexander Vulin will take part in the BRICS summit in Kazan, RIA Novostireported .

At the same time, Vladimir Putin sent an invitation to this meeting to the country’s President Aleksandar Vucic. On September 5, answering a question from journalists about whether he was going to visit Russia during the October 22–24 summit, Vucic replied that he had many meetings planned with international leaders in the months ahead. This was interpreted as a veiled refusal to attend the summit, but the Serbian president later said that he did not say “yes” or “no” to this proposal, and his remark should be interpreted as “we’ll see.”

Alexander Vulin, in turn, said that the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the pressure that is being put on Belgrade in this regard could force Serbia to join BRICS, since this is “a real alternative to the EU.” Vulin is known for his pro-Russian views, is under US sanctions and previously served as head of the BIA (Serbian equivalent of the FSB), from which, according to rumors, he was removed due to dissatisfaction on the American side.

As Balkan political scientist Aleksandar Djokic explained in an interview with The Insider, Vucic cannot go to the BRICS summit in Kazan himself, although Putin personally invited him there and this was actively discussed in the Serbian media:

“That is, both the West and Serbian society know about this. The fact that he won’t go there is a pretty strong signal. And Vulin in the current government received the function of the informal ambassador of Serbia to Russia. He seems to represent the pro-Russian pole of the Serbian leadership. But in fact, there are no poles, Vucic decides everything, and at the present moment Vucic is more directed towards the West than towards Russia, the door of which, however, he does not want to close. But Putin has to endure all this, he has no other choice in Serbia.”