Serbian Presiden Vucic preferred not to send birthday congratulations to Putin this year

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did not congratulate his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on his birthday.

According to Danas publication, the authorities in Belgrade did not name any specific reasons for Vucic's decision not to congratulate Putin.

"During eight years of his tenure, Vucic would congratulate Vladimir Putin on his birthday every year. This year there were no congratulations. The brave man feared that Scholz or Macron would not appreciate it. Hero!" Nikola Lakic, a popular lawyer in Serbia said.

Lakic added that Vucic used to be in close contact with Putin, but then changed his preference to French President Emmanuel Macron. This is the only reason that may explain Aleksandar Vucic's decision not to call Putin on his birthday.

President of the People's Liberation Movement Miroslav Parovic noted that Vucic's congratulations to Putin would always make news headlines in Serbian media. This year, however, there was nothing, the publication added.

Vladimir Putin turned 72 on October 7.

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Aleksandar Vučić (born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as the president of Serbia since 2017. A founding member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as the president of the SNS from 2012 to 2023, first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, and prime minister of Serbia from 2014 to 2017.

Serbia officially the Republic of Serbia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Southeast and Central Europe, located in the Balkans and the Pannonian Plain. It borders Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Montenegro to the southwest. Serbia claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo. Serbia has about 6.6 million inhabitants, excluding Kosovo. Its capital Belgrade is also the largest city.