Western Balkans may become new 'playground' for Putin - Politico
Photo: Russian president Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
The Western Balkans may soon become a new “hot spot” on the map. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin may use them as a “playground” for his own purposes, writes Politico.
“While Europe’s attention has been focused on Ukraine, tensions in the Western Balkans have been simmering, and leaders in the region — as well as in Britain — worry Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the moment,” the media writes.
Representatives of the highest echelons of the British government call the Western Balkans “other hotspot,” and as the situation escalates, London insists that all the states in the region join the EU to counter Russia's influence.
“At this time, with war in Europe and seeing the long hand of Russian interference also in the region, you would be a fool if you took your eye off the Western Balkans, where there are still legacy issues that are yet to be overcome,” said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
According to him, Putin's interests in this part of Europe are to keep the region destabilized.
“Putin’s interests here are to keep the region destabilized. It’s in his interests to keep the countries that make up the Western Balkans on edge, to have a destabilized population and to wage a cyber and hybrid war,” the diplomat added.
Foreign policy experts and ministers quoted by the media fear that the Kremlin will try to use deep-rooted ethnic and religious tensions to foment new unrest in the Balkans, strengthening its own interests and creating even more problems for the EU.
“Right now they (the Western Balkans - ed.) must move forward or they will continue to be Russia’s playground,” said one British official, who was granted anonymity to discuss matters he was not authorized to comment on publicly.
Not just the Western Balkans
As the Financial Times previously reported, the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have not hidden their concern that Russia will not stop in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
According to them, a ceasefire in Ukraine would dramatically increase the security threat to the Baltic states. Russia will not stop rearming and deploying troops to NATO's northeastern flank.
Back in January, RBC-Ukraine wrote that the West was actively talking about the Russian threat against one of the NATO members. Read more about these fears in the article.
