The Serbia-Russia exercises at a training ground near Belgrade comes as large-scale U.S. Army-led drills dubbed Defender Europe 2021 are held across Europe.
Serbia’s defense minister blasted NATO’s top general on Monday for saying that one of the biggest threats for Europe is increasing Russian influence in the Balkans.
The Supreme Allied Commander, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, told senators he sees the Balkans and the Arctic as key threat areas as NATO follows Russia's provocations in the region.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that the future of Europe’s Balkan nations is in the West, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to the region as Russia works to assert its historical influence there.