Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Garvala-Schwartz said that Russia could inflame tensions in the Balkans and create a new war so that the West would not focus on Ukraine, the Koha ditore newspaper reported, citing an interview on Wednesday of the Kosovo Foreign Minister for “NatSec Daily“ ("NatSec Daily"), writes BTA.
In the interview, Garvala warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin's territorial ambitions do not stop at the Ukrainian border.
According to the Kosovo foreign minister, Ukraine's victory against Russia would ensure long-term stability even in the "troubled Balkans".
„Putin's strategy is to keep the West distracted with various conflicts. Therefore, a new war in the Balkans would be welcome for Russia”, she said.
Garvala said that Kosovo in particular is a tempting target for Putin because the country's prosperity undermines his argument that the West cannot help the countries of the former Eastern bloc.
„Putin talks about Kosovo every week. This is not related to the geopolitical importance of Kosovo, but it has to do with the fact that Kosovo is a success story of the West, a success story of the United States of America, a success story of NATO, a success story of European countries," Garvala said.
Garvala's warning comes at a time when other European countries have publicly expressed concern about Putin's growing aggressiveness, notes the newspaper “Koha ditore”. Sweden said last week that the Russian president had targeted the strategically important Baltic island of Gotland. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has warned that Russia is already attacking its neighbors using hybrid tactics. The European Union also condemned Russia for removing the buoys that mark the river border with Estonia.