Garčević Interviewed on Developments in Ukraine
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was interviewed by Gradska TV on the latest developments in Ukraine, Russia’s proposal for a new security arrangement in Europe, and continued European security challenges.
In his remarks, Garčević outlined the modern history of Russian encroachment of former Soviet territories. He highlighted that from 1997 to 2014, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deployed no troops or equipment in new member states, but that changed following the war in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. He outlined how Moscow uses Ukraine as a bargaining chip in its relations with the West, highlighting that the current build-up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border may be an attempt to force the West to take Russia’s security demands seriously. However, the standoff signals that the situation may escalate further, and Russia may invade Ukraine in the coming weeks.
The full interview can be viewed below.
During his diplomatic career, Ambassador Vesko Garčević dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He had been a Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School. Learn more about Ambassador Garčević on his faculty profile.