Any military alliance on European soil other than NATO, whether directed against Serbia or anyone else, would represent a security risk and a step backwards, said former US National Security Advisor and former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton.
Commenting on the military alliance formed by Albania, Croatia and Kosovo, Bolton stated in an interview for today's Politika that neither he nor the Serbs can agree with political solutions that have as their premise "that the Serbs are the problem."
"Since the breakup of Yugoslavia, you have had an effort to limit Serbia's position and influence. Unfortunately, this has not contributed to the development and spread of real democracy. This has allowed a people who feel like victims to not accept an apology for rejecting the resolution of the war conflicts in 1990... Any party that would have problems with (the Dayton Agreement) has a legitimate right to ask for it to be discussed, especially if, generally speaking, it would contribute to resolving the problem," Bolton said.
He also said that the dissolution of NATO would call into question its success in maintaining peace and security in Europe achieved since 1949, which would have "very negative consequences not only for the Balkans, but throughout Europe."
"I don't believe there should be any place for military alliances in Europe outside of NATO. Ultimately, I think the goal of most countries in Europe and the Balkans is to become members of NATO. In terms of Ukraine's membership in NATO, that's the one thing Russia is not ready to go through. Finland and Sweden have also come to that conclusion, namely that after 75 years of neutrality, their complete security lies only beyond NATO's borders," Bolton believes.
He also stated that US President Donald Trump has signaled in recent days that he is becoming frustrated with official Moscow and its promises that it wants peace in Ukraine.
"I think we want people to come to the conclusion that we should not resort to military force to solve the problem. The next 30 days will be important to determine whether there is real progress on the ceasefire, and if not, whether Trump will consider imposing sanctions on Russia or Ukraine or both countries in the next 30 days," Bolton said.
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