Montenegro 'obstructs' US-Russia relations

(Baonghean) - Montenegro has just taken another big step towards becoming the 29th member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), when US President Donald Trump signed the protocol admitting this Balkan country.

The move took place before the meeting with the NATO Secretary General. Mr. Trump is said to be tending to be more "favorable" to the bloc, but at the same time it also makes US-Russia relations more tense.

The decision was not surprising.

With a population of just over 620,000, Montenegro is strategically located in the Balkans and could help NATO expand its borders on the Adriatic coast. These are the reasons why this former Yugoslav country has been one of the targets of the struggle for influence between Russia and NATO over the past time. At the NATO Summit held in December 2009, Montenegro received an action plan to become a member of NATO. Negotiations on this issue then began in 2010.

US President Donald Trump has cleared the way for Montenegro to join NATO - a move that could cause tensions with Russia. Photo: The Hill

Remember in May 2016, when the foreign ministers of 28 NATO member states completed negotiations and signed the protocol to admit Montenegro, Russia immediately voiced its criticism. By the end of March, after a long period of indifference, with 97 votes in favor and 2 votes against, the US Senate passed the decision to admit Montenegro as the 29th member. This was the result after Secretary of State Tillerson called on the US Senate to make this move.

Next, US President Donald Trump's decision to admit Montenegro into NATO is not considered too surprising. Because recently, Mr. Trump has had a clear change in attitude and statements towards the military alliance of which the US is a member. If during the presidential election, Mr. Trump continuously criticized the old model

Surely, Mr. Trump clearly understands that the US and NATO are still an inseparable part of each other. The decision to admit Montenegro into NATO is considered the US President's goodwill towards this bloc. Because for NATO, although Montenegro has a very small armed force, this bloc does not give up any opportunity to expand the alliance's territory. Besides, NATO Secretary General Jeans Stoltenberg once stated that the 2016 coup in Montenegro showed the importance of making this country a NATO member. It should be recalled that Russia was accused of being involved in the plot to assassinate the Western-backed Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic in November 2016.

Not warm yet cold

It can be said that the US President's move will certainly anger Russia, and at the same time bring the relationship between the two sides back to zero after a period of seemingly warming up. On the one hand, Russia certainly cannot sit still when NATO is increasingly increasing its presence in the East. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov once said, "Russia has always paid attention to the continuous expansion of NATO's scope of operations as well as its military infrastructure to the East. This will certainly lead to reciprocal actions from the East, specifically from Russia, to ensure security interests as well as promote equality of interests." On the other hand, Russia also strongly opposes NATO's efforts to attract Montenegro to join despite the opposition of its people.

Montenegrin sailors stand on the frigate "Kotor" in the port of Bar, Montenegro on March 15. Photo: AP

Public opinion has seen a change in Russia-US relations since Mr. Trump took office. But the decision to attack Syria, and now the admission of Montenegro, is raising questions about President Trump's policy towards Russia.

does not want to escalate tensions with Russia but is still under pressure from the neo-conservative forces in the current US administration. But Mr. Trump seems to have had his own calculations when making this decision. Because despite its strategic location, Montenegro is not Ukraine or Georgia. Many even believe that whether Montenegro joins NATO or not will not affect Russia's security. Once two extremely important countries, Ukraine or Georgia, join NATO, that will be the real problem.

Therefore, President Trump's signing of the Montenegro accession decree is considered to have reaffirmed relations with NATO, so that it can be "easier to talk" in the upcoming meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House; but it also does not make Russia too tense. Of course, the completion of Montenegro's accession to NATO will still have to wait for the two remaining members of the bloc, the Netherlands and Spain, to approve. From now until then, US President Donald Trump will probably have to find a new policy for relations with both Russia and NATO.

Phuong Hoa