What’s wrong with this picture of #Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić visit to @WhiteHouse & how it triggered scandal in #Russia-Serbia relations
SHORT THREAD

1. @realDonaldTrump notorious for breaching protocol to (1) raise his own profile with foreign leaders
(2) establish psychologically assymetric relationship of “superior – subordinate”
(3) make counterparts feel like the very meeting w/ US President is some kind of privilege

2.The protocol implies
(a) 2 presidents should sit in front of each other,have equal access to the table (Vučić sitting farther from the table,can’t put his hands/papers on it)
(b) talks should take place in a neutral setting,ideally some negotiations room,not presidential office

3. (c) Delegation members should also be sitting at the table or behind their leaders not scattered across the room like this. Manipulating protocol to show one’s party’s dominance is incredibly disrespectful in diplomacy.

4.Serbian President was further humiliated when they placed a small table next to the “Resolute”.Remarkably,in the video Vucic is amazed that Americans prepared a document that demanded Belgrade to recognize independence of Kosovo & replace #Russian gas w/ exports of LNG from #US

5.Following reportedly tough negotiations Serbians managed to get rid of these 2 points but ended up signing – together w/ #Kosovo – things that are important to @realDonaldTrump / #US, not #Serbia or Kosovo..

Among these isses were recognition of #Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, respect for #LGBT rights, moving embassy to #Jerusalem (for Serbia) and est ties with Israel (for Kosovo) and not purchase of 5G equipment from non-US certified producers (farewell to #China?)

6. One may joke that #Serbia/n president did better w/ @realDonaldTrump since at least he was offered a table while his #Polish counterpart back in the day had to sign papers on his feet

7. The picture of #Serbia/n Prez sitting in front of #Trump like a school boy in front of a principal (a Communist party member in front of the Party’s Chief?) drew criticism a Russia/n MFA’s spox Maria Zakharova..

8. Zakharova alluded to the famous scene from the “Basic Instinct” movie and advised that the way Sharon Stone placed her legs was the safest for Vučić - or anyone alse made to sit in thsi position - to conduct the talks in the White House.

9. Zakharova’s comments were made to criticize the #Trump team for the way they twist protocol to deal with foreign leaders but Vučić and some other senior Serbian officals found them offensive.
Vučić found the comment “vulgar” and “primitive” and..

regretted that "some people in Moscow don’t appreciate relations with #Serbia" esp since in his talks with @realDonaldTrump Vučić said he stood up for Serbia’s cooperation with #Russia.

10. #Kremlin rushed to reassure Vučić of devotion to the relations w/ #Serbia and said that Zakharova’s post was “misunderstood” but noted #Russia prefered "King Arthur Round Table" setting for similar talks.

Finally, Zakharova wrote a comment explaining exactly what she meant with that picture of Sahron Stone and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called President Vučić yesterday to discuss #Kosovo and, as reporters presume, discuss this particular incident.
/END

P.S. Perhaps, this would pass for the King Arthur-styled round-table setting https://twitter.com/m_suchkov/status/1302913397265137665