Serbia is once again "little Russia" - analyst

Serbia is once again "little Russia" - analyst

According to him, this project has been "pushed to some future," while it will become evident by the end of the year whether the start of membership negotiations with the European Union will also suffer "because of some views on Serbia coming from the west."

Simić, who now teaches at the Faculty of Political Sciences, told the TV Pink broadcaster that after the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis and the shooting down of a Malaysian airplane "the United States wants to change the balance of power so as to sever the ties and weaken the Russian influence in European countries, especially in Germany."

For the U.S., it is important that Russia is held at a distance from Europe, and to, at the same time, maintain its own presence there, said Simić.

In all this, he believes that "Serbia has great significance - because it has so far shown the most sympathy for Russia, regardless of being officially neutral."

Simić also told the broadcaster that Serbia is now "once again, in some way, little Russia - or a metaphor of Russia" and that there is "nervousness and tension in the public both at home and abroad."

He added that "at this moment top domestic officials want to preserve ties with Russia, as they believe that the integration of Serbia into Europe is, after all, a distant prospect."

"If Serbia joined the countries that have implemented sanctions toward Russia it would be very cold in Serbia this coming winter," asserted Simić.