Yeltsin prevented a Slavic Union in 1999 between Russia, Belarus and FR Yugoslavia

[Crvena zvezda]

Here's are two article I found on BBC:

It seem's in the early stages of the bombing Yugoslavia voted to form a slavic Union and the response of Yeltsin was a rejection. I have read somewhere that the parliament of Russia voted in favour but Yeltsin vetoed the vote in order to obtain a mere $1 billion in loans from the west. I thing this showed how incompetent Yeltsin is, for if he said yes Russia would have found it's self in control of new land and through Montenegro a warm water port in the mediterranean.
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Analysis: How strong is the Slavic union?

Yugoslav Federal Parliament deputies vote to join the Slavic union

By BBC regional reporter Tom de Waal

The idea of Yugoslavia signing up to the union treaty between Russia and Belarus was first proposed last year by nationalist radicals from all three countries.
The Serb nationalist, Vojislav Seselj, who is also deputy prime minister of Serbia, said it would "stick in the throat" of the West.
But the Russian Foreign Ministry, amongst others, quietly dismissed the idea as both impractical and against Russia's interests.
It was revived again by the Communist speaker of the State Duma, Gennady Seleznyov, who visited Belgrade last week.

Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic: Cheered before the voteMonday's vote in the Yugoslav parliament confirmed the move unanimously - although it amounted more to a vote for Serbia to join the union alone as members of parliament loyal to the President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, stayed away from the session.
It is a measure of how opinion towards the West has changed since the Nato bombings began that the Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said in response that his ministry would "study" the possibility of Yugoslavia joining the union.
That was a much warmer response than before.
Rhetoric or reality?
However, the vote has everything to do with nationalist rhetoric and not a lot with reality.

The integration between Russia and Belarus, two neighbours with a common border, common language and recent historical ties, is proving difficult enough.
To try to include distant Yugoslavia with its devastated economy, seems fantastic to say the least.
The treaty of economic union signed by the Russian and Belarussian presidents in May 1996, during Mr Yeltsin's re-election campaign has so far yielded few results.
Its main achievement, a customs agreement, has suffered since Russian customs officials complained that the Belarussian frontier was too open to smuggling and Russia was losing revenues.
Last December the two countries declared that they wanted to deepen their integration and work towards full currency union and legal harmonisation - ideas which need to be confirmed in a referendum later this year.
Economists and international lenders like the IMF are very sceptical about closer unions.
The Belarussian economy is still almost exclusively controlled by the state, there is almost no foreign investment and the currency is weak.
These are all problems which are even more acute in Yugoslavia.
Official response crucial
On an issue where symbolism is all-important, the official response in Moscow to the vote will be watched very closely in the West.
Belarus and Yugoslavia are the two most authoritarian and anti-Western states in Europe. If Mr Yeltsin and his government say they want to show more solidarity with them, it will mark a further toughening of Moscow's position.
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Serbia hails union with Russia, Belarus
Serb radio on Monday broadcast Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic's address to parliament on the day that the MPs voted in favour of joining a proposed union with Russia and Belarus.
The prime minister described joining the union as being of "historic importance", saying the three states would be able to protect their national interests together.

"This union will create conditions for the peoples of Russia, Belarus and Yugoslavia to join forces and, based on a new turning point in civilisation, protect their vital state and national interests and once more immeasurably contribute to the just goals of peace and co-operation in Europe and the world.
"Yugoslavia joining the Union of Russia and Belarus will facilitate the economic, cultural and general development of our countries and peoples. The union will be of particular significance in fighting for peace and security in Europe," he said.
He added that "aggressor countries" had rejected Yugoslav-Russian proposals to end the conflict in Yugoslavia and accused the USA and Nato of trying to impose itself as a single power on the whole world. President Bulatovic also informed President Slobodan Milosevic of the decision, saying that the move to join the union would strengthen economic, scientific, cultural and technological developments between the three countries.

[Srbobran]

Things would have been so much better if we had joined this union. we would have a closer economic co-operation with Russia and we would have had the guaranteed territorial integrity of Serbia.

If he Radicals had won, it is more than likely the proposal would have suggested and perhaps a referendum held. Shame. We could be so much stronger if Russia was with us. Also, perhaps if we joined this union with Russia, they would support Serbian aspirations in Bosnia and we could (with their support) finally unite with our kinsmen.

[Crvena zvezda]

Originally Posted by Srbobran

Things would have been so much better if we had joined this union. we would have a closer economic co-operation with Russia and we would have had the guaranteed territorial integrity of Serbia.

If he Radicals had won, it is more than likely the proposal would have suggested and perhaps a referendum held. Shame. We could be so much stronger if Russia was with us. Also, perhaps if we joined this union with Russia, they would support Serbian aspirations in Bosnia and we could (with their support) finally unite with our kinsmen.

It was the Russian president Yeltsin who rejected it. Only Djukanovic in FR Yugoslavia rejected, Milosevic, Seselj and even the opposition in Serbia and pro-Serb opposition in montenegro supported it.

[Feldmarschall]

Russia didn't help to Serbia in 1999, when was a Kosovo war.
But a few bulgarians were volunteers there and fight for the christians against the arogant muslim albanians! I know one of these men!

[Crvena zvezda]

Originally Posted by Feldmarschall

Russia didn't help to Serbia in 1999, when was a Kosovo war.
But a few bulgarians were volunteers there and fight for the christians against the arogant muslim albanians! I know one of these men!

I know. During the war in Bosnia more Romanians volunteered to help Serbia then Russians. In regards to Bulgaria, there help is appreciated and it's easier for Bulgarians to come and help.

Russians could have helped but Yeltsin rejected the fastest way to do so, the union obtion.

Not only that the Russian government also instituted measures to prevent Russians from enlisting to help Serbia and if I'm not mistaken since all flights were not occuring due to the war the fastest way to get to Serbia would be taking a flight to one of the neighoburing states and crossing the border but then when you tried to cross you'd get in trouble especialluy given how pro-NATO all states bordering serbia are.

[Feldmarschall]

USA are terrorists and liars!
They said, that they fight against Islamism in Iraq and Afganistan, but in the Balkans they support fanatic muslims - turks and albanians, and try to smash the Orthodox christianity here.
George Bush should become a death sentence!

[Marulus]

I wouldn't say this whole "union" was some very serious idea.