Page 54 - TURKRptJun22

54 I Southeast Europe bne June 2022
Nato Response Force units arriving in Romania in early March as the alliance strengthens its eastern flank. Photo:Nato
Where the 11 Southeast European states stand on the Ukraine war
bne IntelliNews
Southeast Europe is split over the issues of sanctions on Russia and military aid to Ukraine, with some states firmly in the western camp, some staying neutral and others internally torn.
Internally divided
Top-level political rows are currently raging in Bulgaria and Croatia – both EU and Nato members – over the scale of their support for Ukraine. There are also rifts over the approach to the war in Western Balkan countries such as Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, until recently united in their aim of rooting out corruption, are now in open conflict. Petkov, who wants to send military aid
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to Ukraine, faces opposition not only from Radev, but also from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), a member of
the four-party coalition that he leads. However, the BSP backed down on
May 4, and voted in favour of allowing military and technical aid to Ukraine.
Many Bulgarians are disappointed
in Radev’s apparently pro-Russian position; polls show that Bulgaria’s previously pro-Russian population has turned against Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, since the invasion. Radev, however, argues he is defending Bulgaria’s interests by not allowing the country to become embroiled in the war. He even accused the government of betraying the Bulgarian interest by refusing to pay for Russian gas in rubles, which led to Gazprom’s decision to stop deliveries.
Assen Vassilev, deputy prime minister and co-leader of Change Continues alongside Petkov, called Radev’s position “disgraceful”, adding that it “implicitly includes the understanding that Russia will win this conflict and that it is normal and good for Russia to win this conflict”.
Croatia
The ongoing row in Croatia pits Russia hawk Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic against President Zoran Milanovic.
The two clashed over Ukraine even before the start of the war, when Milanovic criticised Plenkovic’s visit
to Kyiv in late 2021, and went on to inflame the situation when he said on January 25 that Croatian troops would not be involved in a possible escalation of tensions between Russia and