Serbian leader Vucic's defeat leaves Washington in awkward position

In a shocking upset, a student movement resoundingly beat longtime Serbian leader President Aleksandar Vucic, ending his time in power after 14 years.

Vucic dominated Serbian politics since becoming president of the Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, in 2012, then becoming prime minister in 2014, then switching over to president in 2017. Serbia occupies a unique position in Europe, as a longtime pro-Russian, Orthodox country lying in a Europhile sea. Under Vucic, it struck a balancing act between Russia, the European Union, China, and the United States. The former president had increasingly focused on a relationship with the U.S.