Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says issuing an international arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin “will have bad political consequences” and will only serve to prolong the war in Ukraine.
The Russian president was the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday for alleged war crimes.
But Vucic, who previously had close ties to Putin and has been a vocal opponent of international war crimes tribunals, says it was a bad decision.
He told reporters in Belgrade that the arrest warrant “will have bad political consequences” and indicated a great reluctance to talk about peace (and) a ceasefire in Ukraine.
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My question is now that you have accused him of the biggest war crimes, who are you going to talk to now? Mr. Vucic added.
The Serbian president said there is “no doubt” that the main goal of the ICC is to make communication difficult for Putin.
Asked if the Russian leader would be arrested if he visited Serbia, Vucic said it was “a pointless question” because while the war continues, “Putin has nowhere to go.”
Serbia has maintained a close relationship with Russia throughout the conflict and is the only European country that has not imposed international sanctions against Moscow.
But it is also seeking EU membership and yesterday agreed to move towards a deal to normalize relations with Kosovo after it refused to recognize the state’s declaration of independence in 2008 – a rejection shared by Mr Putin.
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