Serbian president offers to host Trump-Putin meeting in Belgrade
Serbia will officially offer to host the upcoming meeting between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in a television broadcast on Jan. 12.
Trump announced on Jan. 9 that plans for a meeting with Putin were already underway, but no concrete details have been made public.
Belgrade is ready to host the future meeting and can guarantee appropriate security for both leaders, Vucic told the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS).
"(Serbia) is the country where President Trump had the greatest support in all of Europe," Vucic said.
"There is no country that can compare to Serbia in terms of the level of support for President Trump. ... And on the other hand, it is a country where President Putin is still very, very popular. So, I think that this is a place on the globe that would be extremely suitable for both of them."
Serbia is well-suited to host Trump and Putin because it is not a member of any military alliances, such as NATO, Vucic said.
Serbia maintains a friendly attitude toward Russia and has refused to join international sanctions against Moscow in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Vucic has called Ukraine a "friendly country" and previously affirmed that Crimea and Donbas are Ukrainian sovereign territories.
Switzerland has also put itself forward as a potential site for the Trump-Putin talks. Nicolas Bideau, head of communications at the Swiss Foreign Ministry, told Swiss media on Jan. 12 that Switzerland had already communicated its willingness to host the meeting.
The framework of the upcoming meeting is still being determined, incoming U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on Jan. 12. A phone call between Trump and Putin to work out the details is expected "in the coming days and weeks."
The Kremlin has said a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders will have to wait until after Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.
Martin Fornusek
