Vulin reported on the U.S. intention to quarrel Russia and Serbia

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has said that US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien is asking Serbia to "become an enemy of Russia". This was reported by the RTRS television and radio company on January 12.

According to him, sanctions against the oil company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) are being imposed not to change the balance of power in Ukraine, but to quarrel Belgrade with Moscow. Vulin says it will contribute to the weakening of the country's economy and the loss of its privileged status on the Russian market and in gas supplies.

"You are blackmailing us by forcing us to take away Russian property, not because it will destroy the Russian state, but because you want us to be permanently disgraced and lose the honor and trust of all those who will come to invest in Serbia," Vulin said.

He also added that he regretted O'Brien's lack of time to visit the monument to Serbian children who died because of NATO aggression. Vulin noted that if the US Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs had done so, maybe he would have been less proud of his role in Rambouillet.

Serbia's deputy prime minister said that the sanctions against NIS are mainly directed against Russia. According to his information, their aim is to reduce the flow of money to Russia, as it will be spent on special operations.

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Earlier in the day, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien made a statement saying that Russia should completely withdraw from the company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS). He described the absence of money outflow to Russia as the only condition for the acceptability of NIS activities for the US. According to him, the reduction of the Russian share will have an impact on relations between Belgrade and Washington.

On January 10, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed restrictions against NIS as part of a new package of anti-Russian sanctions. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on January 5 that in case of sanctions from the U.S. side, the country is ready to buy out the Russian stake in NIS. He added that if the estimated value of the company is €1 billion, the stake could be bought out for about €600 million.

Earlier, January 4, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that he wants to hold a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the U.S. sanctions against the Serbian oil company NIS. He specified that the U.S. sanctions do not refer to companies that are Russian-owned, but specifically to NIS. This puts Serbia in a difficult position.