Garčević Interviewed on War in Ukraine and Regional Politics

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 Delo (The Act) in Slovenia on the war in Ukraine, enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU), as well as relations between the EU and Russia. 

In the interview, titled “Rusija lahko krizo iz Ukrajine prenese na Balkan, če hoče (The Russia Can Transfer the Crisis from Ukraine to the Balkans if It Wants To),” Garčević commented on the European reaction to the invasion of Ukraine, stating “what we have seen so far suggests that the EU, despite differences, demonstrated a high level of harmony. The question is how long this unity will endure if the crisis lasts until the fall given a high European dependence on Russian energy (gas).”

Garčević was also asked to comment on the recent visit of the Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia to Kyiv. Although the visit has symbolic importance for Ukraine, he argues that the real purpose was domestic politics. Two out the three Prime Ministers are known for their populism (Slovenia and Poland), and it is politically profitable for them at home to stand by Ukraine. Garčević notes that during the migrant crisis a few years ago, their stance on migrants and refugees from the Middle East was completely different. They are known for having been the staunch opponents of the European coherent migrant policy, closing borders of their countries for people who suffered from war in the same way as Ukrainians are suffering now.

The full interview can be read online.

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.