The effects of this have been felt most keenly in Kosovo, which achieved independence from Serbia in 2008, after the bloody Balkan wars of the 1990s. And Serbia has continued to pursue its own interests in the region with diminishing accountability, stirring conflicts abroad to distract from discontent at home, safe in the knowledge they will not be rebuked in the West.

Serbia has refused to participate in all rounds of EU sanctions against Putin. Western diplomats have sought to pull Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic from the orbit of his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, by pledging a swifter path to EU membership while simultaneously warning of isolation if they break rank.īut, 18 months on, some observers say the current approach has been all carrot and no stick, and as a result is failing to achieve both of its aims. Traditionally one of Moscow’s closest allies in Europe, Belgrade has long tried to tread the line between its historical ties to Russia and a potential future of closer European integration. Second, to allow their respective administrations to focus more fully on supporting Ukraine. First, to bring Serbia into the Western fold, away from Russia. Rather than juggling the contradictory demands of pluralistic and fractious Balkan states, Western capitals focused the bulk of their efforts on a singular target. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States and European Union accelerated their pivot towards Serbia.

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