Belgrade, Serbia — Serbia’s new government will include a former intelligence chief who has fostered close ties with Russia and is sanctioned by the United States, the prime minister-designate said Tuesday.
Aleksandar Vulin will be one of several deputy prime ministers, Milos Vucevic said as he announced the composition of his future cabinet, which is expected to be voted on in the coming days in Serbia’s parliament.
Serbia formally seeks membership in the European Union but has maintained friendly relations with Russia and refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Vulin’s inclusion in the new government suggests the continuity of close ties with Russia despite Serbia’s proclaimed pro-EU path.
In July, the United States imposed sanctions on Vulin, accusing him of being involved in illegal arms shipments, drug trafficking and abuse of public office.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Vulin used his public authority to help a U.S.-sanctioned Serbian arms trafficker move illegal arms shipments across Serbia’s borders. Vulin is also accused of being involved in a drug trafficking ring, according to US authorities.
Vulin resigned as director of the Serbian intelligence agency BIA after the sanctions were imposed. He had previously also served as head of the army and police.
Vucevic, the new prime minister-designate, previously served as defense minister.
The government formation comes months after a tense parliamentary election in December in which President Aleksandar Vucic’s ruling right-wing populist party won the majority of seats in the 250-member assembly. The vote fueled political tensions due to reports of widespread irregularities by both local and international observers. An opposition group organized street protests after the elections.