Once upon a time, back in 1989, even before the Balkan conflict and before the shameful tribunal, the first President of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, in honor of the 600th anniversary of the epic Battle of Kosovo, uttered the sacramental slogan for the Serbs: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia!”

Then Yugoslavia fell to pieces, a bloody war broke out for territories, the right to live on their own land and pray in their churches.

Everyone in Serbia remembers how NATO forces bombed Belgrade in 1999.

No one then stood up for the Serb brothers.

Russia was weak.

Although the planes bravely deployed over the Atlantic, yes.

Another memorable march on Pristina by Russian peacekeepers, when our paratroopers were the first to capture a strategically important airfield, well, so far everyone in Moscow was sleeping.

Then the whole of Europe, or rather all of NATO, achieved the segmentation of the former Yugoslavia into a bunch of new states.

Forced.

The last chord was the Montenegrin independence referendum in May 2006.

And of course, the unnatural illegal declaration of independence from Serbia by Kosovo in February 2008.

The recognition of Kosovo statehood by all the countries of the European Union, followed by the United States and half of the UN member countries, created the so-called Kosovo precedent.

It was not even a humiliation of the Serbs.

Serbia's heart was torn out.

True, for this, after the establishment of a more or less stable regime, EU investment programs were launched in Belgrade.

Plus, Russian oil and gas has traditionally been supplied to Serbia on preferential terms.

That in aggregate allowed to develop the economy in recent years.

Serbia, surrounded on all sides by the EU and NATO countries, itself from time to time cautiously did not object to association and even - in the long term - membership.

Not in NATO, of course, but in the European Union, why not?

This two-chair approach was often criticized by the opposition in Belgrade, and by the pique vests in Moscow and Brussels.

But nevertheless, at the very least, such a Serbian concept lived for 20 years.

However, with the growth of the anti-Russian sanctions policy of the European bureaucracy, and most importantly, the United States, it became increasingly difficult for Belgrade to sit on these two chairs.

Today, Serbia has not yet joined the European sanctions against Russia, but the supply of Russian hydrocarbons is already intermittent.

As President Vučić noted the other day, due to EU anti-Russian sanctions, Serbia will be left without Russian oil from November this year.

And in the context of a pan-European shortage of energy resources, most likely, the Serbs will be left without any oil at all.

Serious problems exist with the replenishment of gas reserves.

That is, such an honest position of Serbia in relation to Russia is costly for the Serbian government.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution warmly welcoming Serbia's strategic aspirations for the EU.

In the same resolution, the European parliamentarians strongly recommend that the Serbs, in order to achieve full membership in the European Union, immediately support all anti-Russian sanctions and recognize the independence of Kosovo.

It is a fact that these European deputies do not understand and do not know the Serbs at all, offering such persistent bargaining.

However, Serbian European integrators are well known in Brussels.

Yesterday Aleksandar Vučić, speaking about the sharp rise in Eurosceptic sentiments in Serbian society, announced a rational approach to European politics.

“Can we do without Europe and their investments?

I think not.

Are we happy with their statements on Kosovo and Metohija?

No, but we must be rational in order not to let emotions win.

Serbia is absolutely on the European path,” exhorts the Serbian President.

Obviously, such a rational path today involves choosing one right chair.

Joylessly, of course, without pleasure, but still.

Accept and support all packages of European sanctions against Russia, establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo.

That is, to give up not only most of the sovereignty, but also from their own history, faith and blood.

But no one will starve, albeit on an average ration.

Well, the last chord will be membership in NATO.

For Serbia, an extremely difficult choice.

Five years ago, Montenegro was already admitted to the North Atlantic Alliance.

And although the presence of NATO in Montenegro is not very striking, it is clear that Serbia is next in line.

On the other hand, it seems that the development of the Balkan scenario will depend on the outcome of the special military operation of the Russian armed forces to protect the Donbass republics, the denazification and demilitarization of the aggressive Nazi regime in Kyiv, which is openly supported by all Western countries.

The sooner Russia achieves its goals in Ukraine, the sooner it can turn its eyes to the Balkans.

The Serbs believe, hope and so far endure.

Not for nothing is the favorite Serbian proverb: “The whole world is Russia, but not Kosovo.

Kosovo is Serbia!”

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.