The head of the Serbian Security and Information Agency, Aleksandar Vulin, was on the sanctions list of the US Treasury Department. This is stated on the website of the US Treasury.
The American authorities accuse Vulin of corruption, participation in international crime, drug trafficking, abuse of official duties and, in particular, in cooperation with arms dealer Slobodan Tesich.
Also, the American authorities believe that Vulin helped Russia pursue a policy of destabilizing the situation in the Western Balkans, which threatened the security of the region.
Aleksandar Vulin is a close associate of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He leads Serbia’s ruling nationalist party, the Movement of Socialists, and is the first senior Serbian official to fall under US sanctions since Aleksandar Vucic took office in Serbia in 2017. Prior to his appointment as head of the Security and Information Agency, Vulin was Serbia’s interior minister.
Vulin also opposes anti-Russian sanctions. In early July, he accused the US of blackmailing Belgrade. According to the minister, the West will first demand that Serbia impose sanctions against Russia, and then «simply arm» Ukraine, after which «simply provide infantry for conflicts» with Russia.
The Serbian authorities have previously declared their readiness to resist the introduction of restrictive measures against Russia, in mid-May Vucic said that Belgrade would do this «as long as it can.» He noted that the country is already facing the consequences of its policies. The Serbian President assured that Belgrade’s position is not Russophobic or pro-Western, despite being surrounded by NATO countries.