And you, Lukashenko? Imaginary friends run away from Putin

As the criminal war continues, Russia renounces its imaginary friends. Despite the geshefty, few people want to be covered in blood with the prospect of being on the same dock with Putin. Now there is no doubt that the Russian military-political leadership will go before the tribunal.

Alexander Lukashenko

The other day, Vladimir Putin was stabbed in the back by Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic, who is known for his pro-Russian stance. Among other things, Belgrade did not join the sanctions against Russia, citing "neutrality", "moral considerations" and economic losses. However, on October 20, 2022, Alexander Vuchich stated that he never swore that he would not impose sanctions against the Russian Federation. "If an existential threat arises for Serbia, I will address the citizens and say that we must do it. But this moment has not yet come," he said. There was talk on the sidelines that in this way the preparation of public opinion for the inevitable introduction of sanctions against Russia began. Most likely, they will be tied to the continuation of negotiations on the accession of Serbia to the EU. Just in October, the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Policy made a similar demand. Vučić's attempts to sit on two chairs call into question the EU integration process, which entails serious consequences for the economy and security.

In addition, Serbia declared that Donbass and Crimea are Ukraine. Aleksandr Vuchich said in an interview with Bloomberg that Belgrade does not support Moscow in its war against Ukraine. "We said from the very beginning that we could not and have no right to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine. For us, Crimea is Ukraine, Donbass is Ukraine, and it will always be like that," he noted. According to him, "the worst is yet to come" because Ukraine and Russia are getting deeper into the conflict.

A few days earlier, the President of Serbia demanded to stop the recruitment of citizens in PMC "Wagner" to participate in the war against Ukraine. "Why do you, from Wagner, invite someone from Serbia [to join Wagner PMC], even though you know that this is against our rules?" — Alexander Vucic said in an interview with Serbian Happy Television, Reuters reports. In December, the Russian-Serbian Cultural and Information Center of Friendship and Cooperation "Orly" was opened under the auspices of PMC "Wagner", which announced that "with the help of "soft power" they will strengthen and develop friendly relations between Russia and Serbia." In response, the State Department stated that PMC "Wagner" is trying to recruit fighters in Serbia and other countries, and the United States intends to prevent this, "put an end" to its activity.

And the icing on the cake is that Belgrade will send humanitarian aid to Kyiv to support the operation of the energy system. "The government of Serbia has decided to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine, in priority order, equipment to support the country's electric power system," the Serbian government announced. We are looking forward to the reaction of the Russian "hop-stop" ministry, which in December "threw presents" to Azerbaijan, which sent energy equipment to Ukraine. "Such a step on the part of Baku causes bewilderment. As part of a special military operation, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroy the critical infrastructure of Ukraine, which is used by the Kyiv regime for military purposes. Azerbaijani supplies, which are unlikely to fundamentally change the situation, do not attract humanitarian aid," a source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation told TASS. In Baku, the hysteria was ignored and a second batch of humanitarian aid was sent to Ukraine.

By the way, in September 2020, Russian diplomats decided to teach the president of Serbia a lesson in erotica. The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation openly insulted Aleksandar Vučić after he, during his visit to the USA, agreed to normalize economic relations with Kosovo and move the Serbian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. "If you were called to the White House, and the chair was placed as if you were being interrogated, sit down as in photo #2. Whoever you are. Just believe," Maria Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page, illustrating the protocol photo from the White House with a sensational frame from the movie "Basic Instinct." In other words, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation compared the president of Serbia to a woman without panties during interrogation by American policemen. Later, Alexander Vuchich said that Putin and Sergey Lavrov apologized to him for the scandalous post of the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, but Maria Zakharova did not remove it.

Before they had time in Russia, the Egyptian coffers promised Aleksandr Vuchich, according to a rumor from Tehran. Iran does not recognize the annexed territories of Ukraine as Russian, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said in an interview with the Turkish TV channel TRT World. "We recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries within the framework of international law, and for this reason, despite the excellent relations between Tehran and Moscow, we did not recognize the separation of Crimea from Ukraine. We did not recognize the separation of Luhansk and Donetsk from Ukraine," said the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry in particular. According to him, the authorities of Iran insist on their "consistent principle" in foreign policy. "When we say that the war in Ukraine is not a solution, we believe in our position as a fundamental political principle on which we rely," noted Hossein Amir Abdollakhian.

Lukashenko took the final chord. On January 18-19, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov was in Belarus to participate in the joint annual meeting of the colleagues of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and Russia. At the meeting with Lavrov, Alexander Lukashenko made complimentary comments about Ukraine. "Today's security is even more important for us, not only for Russia. You know the plans of our western neighbors. Not only Ukraine. They are also trying to use Ukraine against Belarus. But what amazes me and pleasantly surprises me is that Ukraine is still holding on. She does not go to provocations against Belarus. Although it is actively pushed by our western neighbors," in particular, he said, threatening the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. "That's why we have to endure this time. But the past 2022 has shown what we can endure," Alexander Hryhorevich summarized. The ruler of Belarus, although he is Russia's largest debtor — $8,5 billion at the end of 20121 — is trying to survive the war according to the principle of "either your donkey dies or you die." But it is unlikely to succeed, because the European Parliament voted for a tribunal not only for Putin, but also for Lukashenko.

Kornylova Lily for obozrevatel.com