Can Serbia Stay Neutral in a Polarized World?

On the sidelines of an economic forum in Vladivostok on September 4, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Belgrade is a strategic partner and an "ally of Russia." Putin reciprocated the warmth, offering his greetings to President Aleksandar Vucic and then inviting his Serbian counterpart to attend the upcoming BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan. This Slavic show of solidarity, however, didn't sit well with the European Union. The next day, EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter…