Russian foreign ministry blames west after Sergei Lavrov's visit to ally Belgrade is scrapped
“Our diplomacy has yet to master teleportation,” a senior foreign ministry source told Russia’s Interfax news agency.presents the president with a significant challenge, as Serbia is seemingly poised between its application to be a member of the EU and an instinctive alliance with Russia.
Serbia and Russia have close historic, religious and cultural ties and Moscow has provided crucial support to Belgrade at the UN security council, blocking Kosovo’s independence. Serbia is totally dependent on Russian oil and gas and has not joined western sanctions against Moscow. In April Vučić accused Ukraine and an unnamed EU country of orchestratingagainst Air Serbia planes. He did not provide evidence for the claim, which Ukraine called “baseless”.
The president has been slow to condemn Russian aggression, which was initially reported in pro-government tabloids as a Ukrainian invasion ofVučić and Russian president Vladimir Putin agreed last month that Russia would continue supplying natural gas to Serbia, while other countries have been cut off for refusing to pay for Russian gas in roubles.