The political confrontation between Washington and Berlin goes far beyond the Kosovo issue. Nevertheless, right here it is clearly noticeable that the united West no longer exists.
This is stated in the material of the Serbian edition of News Front.
When the US President Donald Trump demonstratively decides to withdraw from Germany a third of the American armed forces stationed there, it becomes clear that this is a consequence of a deep crisis in relations between the two countries. This point of view was voiced by the journalist of the Serbian publication Politika in Germany, Miroslav Stoyanovich.
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has long stated that there are significant differences between Germany and the United States due to a shift in the focus of the American foreign policy when Europe is no longer central, and it was quite reasonable to assume that even if Trump loses the election, relations between the two countries will not return to their previous state”, – he explains.
According to him, Trump’s decision is Merkel’s revenge, in particular, for her support of Nord Stream-2. It is important to understand that the Germans have a hidden discontent with the American presence, which is often perceived as occupation.
In the foreseeable future, a political race between Washington and Berlin may manifest itself in the issue of Kosovo settlement. As News Front previously reported, Serbian President Alexander Vučić announced that he expects an ultimatum from Western countries on the recognition of a quasi-state.
The head of the East West Bridge international research community, Jovan Kovacic, notes that in the Kosovo issue, Germany and the United States behave “like sheep on a log”. Trying to “squeeze” each other, Berlin and Washington will not even notice how both will lose leverage in the Kosovo process. At the same time, Kovacic noted that Washington has an advantage. According to him, if the American approach is “clear as day”, then the German one is not so transparent.
“If everything goes as they imagined, they will do the same as in Dayton”, – the expert says, referring to the signing of the Dayton Agreements, through which they formed Bosnia and Herzegovina, consisting of the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Stoyanovich, in turn, notes that the situation in the Kosovo direction will develop rapidly, moreover, after the elections in Serbia, which will be held on June 21. In this regard, he drew attention to the fact that Richard Grenell, the American special representative in Kosovo, had already left the post of ambassador to Germany, having removed his unnecessary obligations.
“I believe that they will speak out quickly after the elections in Serbia”, – Stojanovic said. “It’s not known how much this will be possible, since America is now busy with its own problems and no longer has the strength to dictate anything so quickly even here, because only a few months are left before the American election”.
The journalist also emphasizes that the game around the Kosovo settlement is the difference in the vision of the dialogue. The German side is ready to put an end to the issue that creates a point of tension in Europe. But in the case of the United States, Serbia has a small margin for maneuver.
In such a situation, as political analyst Alexander Pavic notes, it is important for Serbia to know what it wants, because there is no longer a monolithic West.
“They can neither bomb us nor impose sanctions on us. Trump is allergic to Clinton’s legacy, so he wanted to keep America as far away from it as possible, but there was little time left before the election. On the other hand, they also cannot reach an internal consensus on the decision in Pristina, they only agree that Serbia should recognize Kosovo. But if they don’t even give us crumbs, and no one can force them to give us at least this crumbs, we can hardly agree to something like that”, – he says.