The effects of the war in Ukraine on the Western Balkans

Abstract

Russia’s war in Ukraine has had a significant effect on political affairs in several Western Balkan countries. The fact that Brussels accepted applications for European Union membership from Moldova and Ukraine in February and March 2022 without attaching strict conditions undermined its credibility in the region. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia’s invasion emboldened Serb separatists, who then lowered their ambitions after Moscow’s withdrawal from the Kyiv region to eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić has continued his successful policy of balancing between the West and Russia.