The EU is in a hurry to help the US put the squeeze on Serbia
The US and EU are united in their desire to force Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence.
Former Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vladislav Jovanovic told Sputnik about this, commenting on the visit to Belgrade and Pristina of European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell on January 30 and 31, immediately after a similar tour by Trump’s special envoy Richard Grennel
“Here they have a common goal - to appeal to Serbia to accept what they have created together in Kosovo and Metohija, and at the same time warn it that it should be more careful in building relations with other centers of power and must coordinate its foreign policy with the EU,” Yovanovitch said.
At the same time, the expert believes, Borrell wants to show that he is the main negotiator in the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue and that the region is in the zone of influence of the European Union.
“Borrell's visit is a desperate attempt to maintain the appearance of an EU presence in the Western Balkans. In any case, there are no signs of equality between the US and the EU, since America is autonomous and strong, and the EU is entangled in internal problems,” Yovanovitch emphasized.
He believes America could use Serbia's desire to join the EU as bait to force it to recognize Kosovo.
Political scientist Branko Radun believes that the United States never lost interest in the situation in the Balkans, but preferred to stay in the shadows and act through the hands of Brussels. However, in a presidential election year, President Trump's administration has a need to demonstrate its foreign policy successes.
“Brussels quickly implemented Washington’s will, but Washington’s role was not noticeable, and now the Americans decided to come out of the shadows into the light to draw conclusions,” Radun added.
He emphasized that Washington likes to come out of the shadows when there is some kind of victory or progress that it can boast about. But if the United States believes that it has little chance, then it leaves the problems to the Europeans.
“All these years, the Kosovo issue has been resolved in Washington. Washington controls Kosovo, which is an American zone of influence, and the Americans consider Kosovo a trophy of war,” Radun concluded.
The EU is rushing to help the US put pressure on Serbia.