Serbian Deputy PM Declares Russia Cannot Be Defeated

Belgrade, Oct 20: Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has declared Russia's invincibility in the country's ongoing conflict with Ukraine, suggesting that modern Western leaders are weaker than Napoleon, who was unable to defeat Russia.

"Stop trying to do this. No one has succeeded. You won't succeed either. Do you really think that today's Western leaders are more powerful than Napoleon? No, they are not, and President Vladimir Putin is not inferior to Alexander," he stressed during an interview with Soloviev Live TV channel, which was aired on the 'Sunday Evening' programme on the Russia-1 TV channel.

Vulin served as Minister of Defence from June 2017 until October 2020, when he was elected Minister of the Interior and held that position until the end of October 2022. In December 2022, he was appointed Director of the Security and Intelligence Agency (BIA). In January this year, he was appointed as a member of the Senate of Republika Srpska.

Awarded the 'Order of Friendship' by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vulin said that Serbia does not want Russia to be defeated.

"If, instead of saying that you want Russia to be defeated, you say that you are for peace, then everyone will immediately fall upon you. Then they want to destroy you," Vulin said. "I, like [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban, like Mr. [Slovak Prime Minister Robert] Fico, like [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic, we are for peace. We want peace," Vulin was quoted as saying during the interview by Russian news agency Tass.

Meanwhile, the Russian President spoke with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic over phone on Sunday on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from the Nazi invaders.

It was on October 20, 1944 that the Belgrade offensive operation of the Soviet Army, in which units of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia participated, ended - becoming one of the key events in the final stage of World War II in the Balkans.

The Kremlin said that Vucic thanked Putin for the "principled position" that Russia takes on issues of ensuring the territorial integrity of Serbia.

The situation around Ukraine was also discussed with Putin giving an assessment of the progress of the special military operation.

"Both sides expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral relations, based on spiritual, cultural and historical community, and unity of assessments of the past and the present. The intention to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide range of areas was confirmed," stated the Russian President's office.

--IANS