"It's not just about Serbia"

This was assessed by Paul McCarthy, director for Europe of the International Republican Institute (IRI), and Ben Hodges, former commander-in-chief of the US Ground Forces in Europe, expresses hope that Biden administration will be ready to "lend a hand" to President Aleksandar Vui.
McCarthy believes that Russia wants to show that it is a player that can be counted on.
An associate of the Washington Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), Hodges, saw Lavrov's stay in Serbia as a possible opportunity to convey some messages to the Serbian authorities, which, as he says, they may not be ready to hear.
"It seems to me that the Serbian government is becoming less committed to traditional relations with the Kremlin. This, for example, shows the attitude of the new energy minister towards the director of the Serbian gas company, which cooperates with Gazprom. That could also be the reason for Lavrov's visit. "In that regard, I hope that Biden administration will be ready to lend a hand to President Vui," General Hodges told the Voice of America.
"Serbia's future is in the west - in the EU. Russia simply does not have enough economic power to meet Serbia's needs. And whether Serbia will meet the EU criteria depends on itself. Russia will try to create chaos by using misinformation regarding Serbia's progress towards the EU. But, I don't think it will succeed in that", McCarthy thinks.
Noting that part of the responsibility in Serbia is due to the delay on the path to European integration, Hodges signals that it is necessary to "look at what is happening on the other side." "This is not just about Serbia. The EU has not yet started negotiations with two NATO members. Unfortunately, the Kremlin could use that to drag the entire Western...