Putin wants "Greater Serbia", the NATO Commander gives the ultimatum: Add troops to Kosovo

Vladimir Putin's new war front in Ukraine is the Balkans. It is the former high commander of NATO in Europe, James George Stavridis, who in an opinion for Bloomberg warns that our region has become an attractive target for Putin, who intends to divert attention from the war in Ukraine.

According to Stavridis, the head of the Kremlin has his eyes on Serbia, Kosovo and the ethnically divided state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Putin is trying to capitalize on this unfinished story. He knows that if NATO member states resume the role of policeman in the troubled region they will be distracted from their focus on supporting Ukraine."

According to the retired US Navy admiral, Putin is encouraging Serbia to put pressure on the NATO-backed government of Kosovo.

He is also working to destabilize Bosnia and Herzegovina through Republika Srpska president Milorad Dodik.

The former top NATO commander says Dodik's goal is to separate Republika Srpska from the rest of the country, and unite it with Serbia. According to him, Putin would gladly support the creation of Greater Serbia.

"This is the same challenge we faced a decade ago. Putin is profiting from fomenting unrest elsewhere in Europe by trying to undermine NATO's credibility and distract us from supporting Ukraine."

The former commander of NATO, Stavridis calls on the West to take measures by increasing the number of troops in Kosovo, and preventing the riots that Putin is trying to cause.

In what he calls effective alliance coordination, he suggests that NATO countries in the Balkans, such as Greece and Italy, focus on the region, while Eastern European members and the Nordic countries focus on Ukraine. Big states like France, Germany, Britain and the USA, according to him, have the resources to be involved in both foci.