Vulin: Vucic did not refuse Putin’s invitation

Vulin told the Serbian state TV (RTS) that the two presidents will discuss the invitation to the summit in Kazan in a scheduled telephone conversation, adding that Vucic’s words were misinterpreted. Vucic said on Thursday that he had a number of important meetings and visits at the time of the summit.

“Russia and Serbia are strategic partners and no one can change that,” he said after a meeting earlier this week with Putin at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

According to him, Vucic and Putin are friends. He said Serbia won’t impose sanctions on Russia. “We are great nations and great nations do not betray their friends,” he added.

Vulin said that Putin is thinking about Serbia in terms of natural gas supplies. “For Russia, those exports (to Serbia) are at the level of a statistical error but they mean a lot to Serbia,” he said adding: “Do you think we can survive the winter without Russian gas?”.