We must not take our eyes off the Balkans. Every distraction opens the door for Putin to interfere in a region where we have paid with human lives to secure peace.

This was stated in an interview with BGNES by Philip Breedlove, a retired four-star U.S. general and former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO.

BGNES: General Breedlove, in 2021 you warned that Moscow would continue to strongly oppose Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU integration, and that Serbia would pursue a ‘Greater Serbia’ project involving Kosovo, Montenegro, and BiH. Do you believe these threats are closer to becoming reality today?
Why do NATO and the U.S. continue to underestimate the threat of Serbian hegemonism in the Balkans? Isn’t this a repetition of the same mistake made in the 1990s that led to violence and war?

Gen. Breedlove: It is extremely important that after the wars in Yugoslavia, NATO, Europe, and the United States fought hard to establish a more peaceful region. So, no matter what happens now, we must not lose sight of the requirement to continue paying attention to the Balkans.

In today’s world, everyone wants to focus on China, and I think Mr. Putin—anytime we take our eyes off a region—puts his eyes on it. What we don't need right now, today, is to create a situation where, because we’re paying so much attention to China, we lose focus on the places where we had to invest our national treasure—and where we lost our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines—in order to bring about peace.

The message is: we cannot afford to take our eyes off the Balkans. We must remain engaged and vigilant there. We should ensure that our nations and our militaries remain prepared and alert in the same way.

BGNES: Is it possible that Putin will open a second front in the Balkans with the help of Russia's biggest ally in the region, Serbia?

Gen. Breedlove: The most important thing is for us to remain vigilant so that Putin doesn’t see an opportunity. I believe that, given the right context, we can have peace in this region. Serbia and others understand the cost of war, and we do not want to return to that. | BGNES