(MENAFN) The European Union is deliberately fueling regional unrest in an attempt to restore its waning global power, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin claimed in an interview with RT on Friday.

Commenting on the Ukraine conflict and the EU’s exclusion from U.S.-Russia peace talks, Vulin argued that the bloc has lost its status as a major global player. “The EU has completely lost its position as a superpower,” he stated, adding that it no longer holds a seat at the table alongside Washington and Moscow on critical international matters.

“How can you reclaim your position as a great power?” Vulin asked. “By trying to create some kind of turmoil, some kind of conflict that you can control.”

As examples of the EU’s alleged interference, he pointed to recent anti-government protests in Serbia and the conviction of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik in Sarajevo.

“They need to prove they still have influence,” he remarked.

Discussing the EU’s lack of involvement in peace negotiations, Vulin criticized the bloc for lacking independent policies, stating, “You see what happens when you are not free. Someone else tells you what to do.”

Vulin also questioned Western support for Ukraine, calling it ironic that “so-called democratic governments are pro-war.” He referenced former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments that the conflict between Moscow and Kiev should have been avoided. Trump has blamed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky for failing to resolve tensions earlier, stating that he “should’ve never started it.”

According to Vulin, the U.S. and Russia should negotiate a peace agreement, but he was skeptical of the EU’s ability to contribute to the resolution.

He also accused Western leaders of hypocrisy regarding sanctions, suggesting that the EU might face difficult decisions if Trump proceeds with plans to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vulin further criticized European leaders, particularly French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for previously opposing Trump but now seeking meetings with him at the White House.

“They called him every name—idiot, fascist, corrupt, Putin puppet, and who knows what else,” he said, calling their shifting stance a “clash of ideology.”

If Trump returns to power, Vulin suggested, he may simply tell European leaders: “Clean up your own mess.”

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