

Virulent nationalist rhetoric aside, Serbia is not beholden to the Kremlin but rather is hedging its bets, as it has done for a long time. The threat Russia poses in the Western Balkans should not be exaggerated. A fresh escalation in northern Kosovo, similar to the one witnessed in late December 2022, cannot be ruled out. Although tensions have abated lately, thanks to the resolute mediation efforts of the EU, fears have not fizzled out. If we have a second episode, for example in Transnistria, then the probabilities that a third war will develop in the Western Balkans very high.” Kurti was hinting at Vučić’s repeated warning that Serbia would act to prevent a “ pogrom” against Serbs in Kosovo. “The first episode, a consequence of the fascist idea of panslavism that the Kremlin has, was Ukraine. Before the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he said, the chances of a new war were low, but then the situation changed. When nationalist Serbs set up barricades in northern Kosovo and fired shots at the police in July–August 2022, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the risk of a new conflict between Kosovo and Serbia had increased. The Kosovar government, for one, paints Serbia as a mere extension of President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In their eyes, the Russian aggression against Ukraine emboldens Serbian revanchism and endangers the Western-backed territorial status quo across the Western Balkans. The country’s neighbors in the former Yugoslavia fear the wars of the 1990s could come back with a vengeance. Serbia’s Russian connection raises alarm across the region. “Serbia is well advanced on its EU path,” tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a visit to Belgrade on October 28, 2022. Yet at the same time, Serbia is winning plaudits in Brussels. The Serbian-Russian connection appears as strong as ever. The city brims with middle-class Russians taking advantage of Serbia’s visa-free regime and lax residence rules to move their businesses closer to the EU and avoid being mobilized and sent to the front in Ukraine. Flights from Moscow and Saint Petersburg land daily at Belgrade airport. On the other, Serbia resists pressure to join Western sanctions against Russia and sever its long-standing ties to the country. On the one hand, Vučić professes a sincere commitment to bringing Serbia into the EU and promoting regional integration through initiatives such as Open Balkan, a platform Serbia shares with Albania and North Macedonia. So far, even Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine has not caused Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to alter course. Five years down the line, Serbian foreign policy is still looking both ways. deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, had a stark message to Serbia back in 2017: Belgrade had to make a choice between the West and Russia. “You cannot sit on two chairs at the same time, especially if they are that far apart.” Hoyt Brian Yee, then U.S. Sierra Nevada resort lake crossword clue report this ad report this adDisclaimerĪll intellectual property rights in and to Crosswords are owned by The Crossword's Publisher.This publication is part of Europe’s East, a Carnegie Europe project on European policy toward Eastern Europe and Russia.Actress Paquin of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" crossword clue."I've hit the mother _!" crossword clue.Joseph who co-founded Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream crossword clue."The Golden _," '80s sitcom starring Betty White crossword clue.Fashion designer Kate known for handbags crossword clue.Section of a flooring store? crossword clue.Body of water between Sicily and Greece crossword clue.

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