"Reflection of Uncertainty": Why the United States announced the deterioration of relations between Serbia and Russia

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Gabriel Escobar said that relations between the United States and Serbia are improving and this is happening to the detriment of ties between Moscow and Belgrade.

In particular, he announced the strengthening of cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries.

“I would say that our relations with Serbia are improving to the detriment of Russia.

We now have a very strong partnership between the Serbian armed forces and the Ohio National Guard (US state -

), ”Escobar said at a hearing before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives.

In addition, he noted the close cooperation between Washington and Belgrade in the peacekeeping sphere, pointing out the agreement signed by the republic on joining the international peacekeeping forces and military observer missions in the Sinai Peninsula.

“We welcome such interaction on the part of Serbia.

We welcome their attempts to acquire US-made equipment in certain cases, ”the diplomat said.

Confront Russia

At the same time, Escobar stressed that the State Department is concerned about the "harmful influence of China and Russia" in the Western Balkans.

Allegedly, Beijing and Moscow are actively opposing the integration of the Balkans with the West, "spreading misinformation and using the weaknesses of the region to lead the states of the Western Balkans off the democratically chosen path and at the same time improve their economic and political positions in Europe."

“Russia has little to offer the region.

It hardly directs investments.

It does not provide assistance in the humanitarian sphere, in the sphere of development, ”says Escobar.

• Gabriel Escobar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs

• © state.gov

In this regard, he stated the need to consolidate the countries of the region "in the community of Western democracies through their membership in the EU," recalling that over the past ten years, the United States has provided the region with more than $ 2.4 billion (about 170 billion rubles. -

) as material assistance.

"In the 2021 fiscal year alone, $ 145 million (10.3 billion rubles. -

)

was allocated

to help bring this region closer to the European Union and build resilience to negative outside influences," Gabriel Escobar said.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden spoke in support of the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU in a telephone conversation with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

"The leaders discussed the Western Balkans, and President Biden expressed strong support for the continuation of the process of preparations for the accession of the countries of this region (in the EU. -

)," the press service of the White House said.

In turn, the journalists of The Wall Street Journal, referring to informed sources, claim that the White House fears an increase in Russia's influence on the region, due to the fact that the expansion of the European Union has so far stalled.

According to the WSJ, if earlier Brussels hoped that either Montenegro or Serbia would become a member of the European Union by 2025, now this term seems “implausible”.

Among the reasons influencing the further enlargement of the EU, the publication names, among other things, disagreements within the European Union itself regarding the prospects for accession of countries that have unresolved problems in their assets.

In particular, Serbia has not yet settled the situation with Kosovo.

In addition, according to WSJ journalists, European politicians are concerned about the alleged strengthening of authoritarianism in the country under the leadership of Alexander Vucic.

Strategic partnership

Meanwhile, in Serbia itself, no one is talking about any deterioration in relations or pressure from Russia.

This, in particular, was announced on October 10 by the President of the Republic Alexander Vucic, speaking to journalists after talks in Belgrade with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“What pressure is Russia exerting on us?

We are putting pressure on Russia - we ask that they give us gas at the best price, ”the Serbian president said.

In addition, Vucic is scheduled to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in November, which the Serbian president has assessed as key to the future of his country.

“I know how important this meeting is for us.

I will now go to Glasgow, where I will meet with many presidents and heads of government of the most powerful countries in the world.

But what will decide our energy and economic future is, of course, the meeting on November 25 (November -

) in Moscow, ”Vucic said.

In addition, the republic has repeatedly expressed gratitude to Russia for its support in the Kosovo issue.

As the head of the intergovernmental committee for cooperation with the Russian Federation, Nenad Popovich, noted, Serbia is grateful to Moscow for keeping the region within the country.

"If there was no Russian veto in the UN Security Council, today the false state of Kosovo would be independent," Popovich said in an interview with TASS.

In turn, as Aleksandr Vucic said, Belgrade is unable to change the US position on Kosovo, since Washington has invested too much in the partially recognized republic.

However, he noted, the Serbian authorities are not obliged to follow all the instructions of the American authorities, which insist on the recognition of the independence of Kosovo by the country's leadership.

In addition, Russia and Serbia are actively developing cooperation in the defense sphere.

So, in mid-October at the Serbian airbase Batajnica, the two countries held joint air defense exercises "Slavic Shield - 2021".

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the maneuvers involved, in particular, the Russian Pantsir anti-aircraft missile systems.

• Russian-Serbian air defense group at the joint exercises "Slavic Shield - 2021"

• © Ministry of Defense of Russia

Also, Russia and Serbia are actively cooperating in terms of equipping the armed forces of the republic.

In the period from 2018 to February 2020, Moscow donated four Mi-35M helicopters, six MiG-29 fighters, ten BRDM-2 helicopters, three Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters, as well as anti-aircraft missile cannon complexes "Pantsir-C1".

And in May of this year, the transfer of 30 T-72MS tanks and 30 BRDM-2MS armored personnel carriers worth € 75 million (6 billion rubles) took place.

As the head of the republic emphasized, Russian-Serbian military-technical cooperation is at the highest level.

"Add more drama"

At the same time, experts note that Serbia, despite friendly ties with Russia, does not want to spoil relations with the United States and the European Union, of which it is going to become a part.

In this regard, analysts believe that Washington is partly right about the fact that Belgrade seeks to maintain constructive ties with the American authorities.

However, as Georgy Engelhardt, a researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized, "The United States wants to make the situation in the Balkans more dramatic."

“It is important for Escobar to emphasize Washington's hostile attitude to the presence of Russia in the region and the US's focus on ousting it from there.

Therefore, the interaction of the Russian Federation with the Balkan countries is viewed through such a prism to convince everyone that only the United States can be the main player in the region, "the expert explained in a commentary on RT.

According to him, the United States is concerned about the current level of Russian-Serbian cooperation, including in the military sphere.

“Because before the United States did not so much emphasize, albeit rhetorically, its dominance in the region.

Perhaps this is a reflection of some uncertainty.

It is clear that the United States is quite jealous of Russian-Serbian relations and strives to spoil them, ”the expert said.

Pavel Kandel, a leading researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, agrees with him.

According to the analyst, the United States is trying to prevent the strengthening of Russian influence on both Serbia and the region as a whole.

“And the US methods can be different.

First of all, this is pressure from its side and at the same time pressure through Brussels in order to induce Belgrade to shift the center of gravity of its policy.

At the same time, direct sanctions are unlikely to be imposed by the Americans.

After all, there is a more effective lever in the form of Serbia's plans to become part of the EU, ”Kandel explained in a conversation with RT.

According to him, in this situation, Washington is more likely to intensify pressure on the European Union, which has so far suspended its expansion due to internal disagreements over the countries that are in line for accession.

After all, the same Serbia still has an unresolved issue with Kosovo, and this is one of the main conditions for the admission of the republic to the EU.

At the same time, analysts note that Serbia is having a difficult time: it is trying to maneuver between the world's major powers.

Indeed, as the expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research Vladimir Bruter noted in a commentary to RT, the president of the republic faces an ambitious task in the form of EU membership, and the union has not developed constructive relations with Moscow in recent years.

"In this regard, Vucic is under double pressure - from the local community, which considers Russia to be the only real strategic partner of Serbia, and from Brussels, which demands adherence to its often anti-Russian policy and the republic's entry into NATO, which Belgrade is trying to avoid," - summed up the expert.