Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine is fueling new concerns about the Balkans – but an expert recalls the core of the current escalation in Kosovo.
Ohrid/Berlin – In mid-March, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti came closer than ever to an agreement on the Kosovo conflict – although it was an agreement without signatures. Because of the war in Ukraine, the West fears that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin will use such conflicts in the Balkans for himself. But the Eastern Europe expert Marina Vulović is certain: “The danger is being portrayed disproportionately.”
Kosovo conflict and Russia: “Serbia cooperates more closely with NATO”
Serbia is dependent on Russia because Russia’s veto in the UN Security Council prevents Kosovo’s admission – and Vučić’s government is the only one in the region not to support the EU sanctions against Moscow. Vulović conducts research on the Balkans at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP). “Serbia cooperates much more closely with NATO than with Russia, although it has also signed military agreements with Russia and participates in joint exercises of the armed forces,” she said in an interview with IPPEN.MEDIA.
However, Russia enjoys a certain “soft power” in Serbia, i.e. cultural influence, above all through the orthodox churches – the real “loophole” for Putin to interfere in Serbian politics, however, is the unresolved Kosovo issue.
Source: Schwaebische