Kremlin aims to distract NATO with Balkan destabilization, warns ex‑commander
4 April 2024 08:04
Russia is doing everything to divert NATO's attention from the war in Ukraine. James Stavridis, a retired United States Navy admiral and former NATO commander, warned of Kremlin actions aimed at destabilizing the Balkans. "Vladimir Putin is encouraging Serbia to pressure Kosovo and is fomenting religious conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina," Stavridis alerts.
In his assessment of the situation in the Balkans, shared on Bloomberg, Stavridis reminded that the region "has four stable NATO members: Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia." "That's precisely why the Kremlin has turned its gaze to Serbia, Kosovo, and ethnically divided Bosnia and Herzegovina," stated the former NATO commander.
The admiral recalled that in the 1990s, the Balkans were already a region of friction between Russia's and NATO's influences. "Putin is trying to leverage this unresolved history," he warned. According to him, if Moscow managed to draw the North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries into a new conflict in the Balkans, NATO's attention directed at Ukraine would undoubtedly weaken.
"Moscow is encouraging Serbia to exert pressure on the NATO-supported government of Kosovo. It is also working to destabilize the fragile government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, divided into a three-person presidency with one representative from each of the three main ethno-religious constituencies," assessed Stavridis.
More NATO in the Balkans? The admiral appeals
The military official also shared his prescription for thwarting the Kremlin's plans in the Balkans. "Increasing the number of troops currently deployed in Kosovo and overcoming the unrest Putin is trying to stir up could make strategic sense," he declared.
According to him, NATO has the appropriate resources to meet challenges in the Balkans and Ukraine. "Members from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia can lead efforts in Ukraine. Large Western countries - France, Germany, Great Britain, and the USA - have sufficient resources to engage in Ukraine and the Balkans," convinces Stavridis.
Admiral James Stavridis led NATO in global operations from 2009 to 2013 as the supreme allied commander responsible for Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, Syria, piracy combat, and cybersecurity.
