What did Montenegrin PM Spajić criticize Vučić for?

Spajić accused Vučić of failing to understand European politics, acting as Russia's PR agent, and pursuing a double policy-sending one message to Moscow and another to Europe, while Serbia simultaneously exports weapons to Ukraine.

Why did Vučić criticize Montenegro?

Vučić criticized Podgorica for sending a diplomatic representative to the commemoration of Operation Storm in Knin while sending no one to the memorial for Serbs who perished in Mrkonjić Grad. He also accused the Montenegrin government of pursuing a policy of 're-educating' the Serbian minority.

When did the conflict between Spajić and Vučić escalate?

The conflict escalated on August 11 and 12, 2026, after Spajić responded on social media platform X to Vučić's accusations of anti-Serbian policies in Montenegro.

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Spajić Fires Back at Vučić

S.V. · Prije 2h | 2 min

Montenegrin PM accuses Serbian president of double standards, claiming he fails to understand European politics and sends contradictory messages to Moscow and Europe.

Summary

Montenegrin PM Spajić accused Vučić of acting as 'Russia's PR agent' and pursuing a double policy.
Vučić had earlier criticized Montenegro for sending a representative to the Operation Storm commemoration in Knin and accused it of 're-educating' Serbs.
Spajić questioned how Serbia can be a significant arms exporter to Ukraine while sending a different message to Moscow.

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A new verbal clash between Podgorica and Belgrade erupted after Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić on Tuesday sharply responded to days of criticism from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. In a post on social media platform X, Spajić said Vučić "does not want to understand" European politics and that, from his position, he is taking on the role of "Russia's PR agent" while lecturing others on principles.

The trigger for the latest escalation was Vučić's statement on Tuesday accusing the Montenegrin government of pursuing a policy of "re-education" of the 33 percent of Serbs living in the country, with the aim of ensuring they no longer identify as Serbs in future censuses. He also claimed that Podgorica wants the worst possible relations with Serbia.

Media Campaign and Double Standards

"You don't have to look at their institutional moves toward Serbia, which are horrifying. Just look at their media scene to see that Serbia has been the target of the most brutal campaign for six or seven days. In our media, Montenegro is occasionally mentioned, while in theirs, 90 percent of the time everything is against Serbia," Vučić said.

Spajić did not stay silent for long. Besides accusing Belgrade of double standards, the Montenegrin PM also raised a specific question about Serbia's stance on the war in Ukraine. "How is it that Serbia, according to available data, is one of the more significant sources of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, while sending one message to Moscow and another to Europe?" Spajić wrote.

Root of the Conflict: Commemoration of Operation Storm in Knin

The conflict between the two leaders intensified about ten days ago when Montenegro announced it would send its diplomatic representative to the commemoration of the anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin, the military operation that liberated occupied Croatian territory.

Vučić reacted with disapproval, openly criticizing the Montenegrin government. "Official Montenegro participates in the celebration of Operation Storm, but sent no one to the commemorative event for the Serbs who perished in Mrkonjić Grad. Thank you, government of Montenegro. This is not the end, but just the beginning of such decisions," the Serbian president said at the time.

In his response, Spajić emphasized that Montenegro does not seek conflict with Serbia but insists on a clear European policy and rejects what he sees as hypocrisy from official Belgrade.