Serbia’s Latest Smooth-Talking Towards Russia Is Politically Self-Serving
Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter
It remains to be seen whether Serbia will keep its word and no longer indirectly arm Ukraine.
Serbia surprised some observers after its President and Prime Minister assured Russia that it’ll no longer indirectly arm Ukraine, which came after Russia’s Foreign Spy Service (SVR) said that Serbia hasn’t discontinued this trade that it first raised awareness about in late May. Serbia’s latest smooth-talking towards Russia is politically self-serving, however, since it preceded last weekend’s attempt to revive the protest movement which Moscow consistently assessed to be a Western-backed Color Revolution.
It was explained last summer that “The Serbian Government Is Inadvertently Responsible For The Latest Color Revolution Intrigue”, yet Russia still maintained its aforementioned position, with Lavrov implicitly reaffirming it after last weekend’s unrest in Belgrade. Even so, SVR’s two announcements about Serbia’s indirect arming of Ukraine in just as many months might have made the government speculate that Russia might play a role in the then-upcoming protests or at least promote them in its media ecosystem.
Therefore, the decision might have been made to preempt that by assuring Russia that it’ll discontinue this trade, ergo the timing of these declarations by its President and Prime Minister. The Prime Minister also pledged not to join the West’s anti-Russian sanctions nor sign any anti-Russian declarations. Going back on the first would harm the Serbian economy, however, while doing the same with the second wouldn’t likely entail any harm since none followed it voting against Russia on Ukraine at the UNGA.
Member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Natalia Nikonorova is skeptical:



















