“A knife in the back”, “Are these what Russian brothers are about?”, “Putin recognizes Kosovo”.
These were some of the Thursday headlines on Serbian daily papers after Russian President Vladimir Putin compared the referendum in Crimea and Sevastopol to Kosovo’s proclamation of independence.
“The only distinction is that the decision on Kosovo’s sovereignty was taken by Parliament, while in Crimea and Sevastopol the decision was taken by popular referendum,” Putin said during a meeting with the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres in Moscow.
It now appears that his statement has triggered a strong reaction in Serbian media.
Blic newspaper is now questioning Serbia’s loyalty toward Putin: “Have we, as a nation, sworn too much to the Russian president: Putin has forgotten Serbs and Kosovo because of the war”.
Another daily paper Srpski Telegraf wrote on Thursday: “Are these what Russian brothers are about? Putin strikes Serbia in the back: He traded Kosovo with Donbas”.
Even Kurir took a jab at Putin in its headline: “Putin defends his interests in Donetsk and Luhansk, without considering Serbia’s position on Kosovo”, emphasizing that “our state must be solely steered by its own national interest”.
Daily tabloid newspaper Alo writes: “Celebrations in Pristina, Zagreb, and Sarajevo due to Putin declarations”.
Another new Serbian tabloid writes: “A stab in the back: Putin recognizes Kosovo”.
According to Serbian media, Vucic is expected to address the statement made by his Russian counterpart.
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