- Zoran Milanović Sworn in as the President of Croatia
On February 18, Zoran Milanović was sworn in for his second five-year term as President of the Republic of Croatia.
Milanović’s second term was made possible by his confident victory in the January 2025 elections, where he won about 75 % of the vote, beating Dragan Primorac from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). Milanović was supported by the center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP), the main opposition party in the country.
After taking the oath, the President Milanović called to preserve peace and the security of citizens as the basic task of state institutions in his inaugural speech, saying that difficult times did not fall on the shoulders of the weakest. Milanović also emphasized that “only and exclusively we care about our country” and that we should stop getting carried away with illusions that someone from outside would take care of us when times are tough.
Speaking about the global crisis, he said: “It is up to us to develop a national policy that will best serve our interests in this new world, this new paradigm; the peace, security and dignity of the Croatian people cannot and will not be sacrificed to someone’s private ambitions or fixations.” In his inaugural address, President Milanović also underlined that the Croatian Army must be capable to stop attacks against sovereignty and territorial integrity, and fulfil all undertaken obligations.
Among the guests at the ceremony were three former presidents, four vice-speakers of parliament, commanders of the Armed Forces headed by the Chief of the General Staff, heads of security and intelligence services, representatives of religious communities, leaders of political parties that supported President Milanović in the election campaign, and generals of the Homeland War (Domovinski rat).
No representative of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party attended the ceremony. Although the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament received official invitations, they did not come the ceremony.
The HDZ boycott the inauguration is evidence of the deep political division in the country. During his first term, the President had tense relations with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the leader of the HDZ. In particular, Milanović repeatedly criticized the Croatian government for its position on military assistance to Kyiv and blocked the participation of Croatian military personnel in EU and NATO programs to support Ukraine.
- US May Reduce Its Presence in Kosovo – BILD
According to BILD, Western security services and politicians fear that US-Russian talks could end the presence of US troops in large parts of Europe.
According to BILD’s article (February 19), the withdrawal of US troops from Kosovo is possible and that Italy is already preparing for this scenario.
Currently, more than 4,600 KFOR soldiers from 28 countries are deployed in Kosovo. Most of them from Italy, next — the US, Hungary and Turkey.
Despite BILD’s assumptions, the Pentagon has reacted coolly to regional media’s request, neither confirming nor denying possible withdrawal of troops from Kosovo. “Today, we have no new information on the deployment of US troops in Europe,” the US Department of Defense said.
Amid the alarming reports, the Deputy Commander of the NATO Allied Reaction Force (ARF) and the Rapid Deployable Corps – Italy (NRDC-ITA), Major General Eldon Millar visited Kosovo.
Millar visited key KFOR locations: the KFOR HQ Pristina Camp Film City, Regional Command West (Camp “Villaggio Italia”), Multinational Specialized Unit (KFOR-MSU) and at the Ibar River Bridge in Mitrovica, and Regional Command East (Camp Bondsteel).
During the visit, the KFOR Commander, Major General Enrico Barduani, expressed his views and assessments of the current security situation in Kosovo and the region in general, while Major General Millar spoke about the capabilities of the ARF and the operational readiness of this formation.
“The visit underlined the continued commitment of NATO forces to maintain security and stability in Kosovo,” KFOR said.
- Serbia Adopts “People’s Declaration on Vojvodina”
The “People’s Declaration on Vojvodina” was signed during a rally on the celebration of the Serbia’s Statehood Day in Sremska Mitrovica in the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is expected that the document to adopt by parliament in the future.
According to the Declaration, “Vojvodina is an expression of European values, a community of all citizens living on the territory of the Autonomous Province, just as much as it is an inseparable part of the national, political, constitutional and cultural identity of modern Serbia… Just as there is no Serbia without Vojvodina, so Vojvodina cannot exist outside of Serbia.”
The beginning of mass protests prompted Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his associates to speak about “countering Vojvodina separatism”. “The supporters of Vojvodina’s separatism want the further disintegration of Serbia,” Vučić said at a rally in Sremska Mitrovica on February 15, the same day the largest student protests were organized in Kragujevac. The Serbian President sent similar messages during his recent visit to other regions.
The topic of “separatism in Vojvodina” has been revived by Belgrade despite the fact that there is no indication of significant support for separatism among the local population of Vojvodina. There are no political levelers at any level of government in Serbia that would advocate a greater degree of autonomy for Vojvodina, and the status of the province has not been mentioned at all during the protests.
Commenting on the Vučić government’s narrative on Vojvodina, Aleksandar Popov, Director of the Center for Regionalism in Novi Sad, told European Western Balkans that “the unprovoked hunt for separatists in Vojvodina and the adoption of the Vojvodina Declaration at a rally in Sremska Mitrovica is a well-known Milošević era’s method — you create fake problem that distracts attention from the real problem.” In his opinion, on the one hand, the Declaration is intended to shift the attention of student protests to the fabricated threat of Vojvodina separatism, and on the other hand, it is intended to sow discord among the students themselves.
- Serbia and Russia Strengthen Cooperation
Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić paid a visit to Moscow.
After meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he was “satisfied with the results of the negotiations” and that “cooperation between Serbia and Russia continues in all key areas.”
One of the main topics of conversation between the two ministers was energy cooperation.
Lavrov said that Russia and Serbia agreed to continue cooperation in order to avoid damage from US sanctions on NIS (“Oil Industry of Serbia”), which mostly is owned by Russian companies.
The topic of gas supplies was also discussed. As is known, Russia provides 85 % of the Serbian economy’s needs for this energy carrier, but the current contract for the supply of Russian natural gas to Serbia is due to expire soon.
Speaking about the cooperation between Belgrade and Moscow, Minister Đurić stressed that Serbia was on its European path, but would not “forget or neglect its traditional friendship” and would continue to develop constructive relations with the Russian Federation and other members of the international community.
Đurić recalled that Serbia was the only European country that has not imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation. “President Vučić reiterated our position that we will not do this, we will continue to act in a principled manner and in accordance with the historical character of our relations,” he stressed.
At a meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the RF Federal Assembly, Konstantin Kosachev. Minister Đurić announced that the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić would visit the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow in May this year. This is another proof that Serbia respects, appreciates and does not forget the price the Soviet and Russian people paid for the freedom of not only their country, but also Serbia and Europe, he added.
Almost simultaneously with the Serbian Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin visited Moscow too, where he met with the Secretary of the RF Security Council Sergei Shoigu.
“The categorical rejection of foreign interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states has been confirmed. The Russian side expressed its readiness to continue supporting the fraternal people of Serbia in maintaining stability.” The parties agreed to intensify interdepartmental dialogue in order to counteract “color revolutions,” the Serbian government said. Vulin and Shoigu also agreed to continue contacts through the Security Council of the Russian Federation in the interests of strengthening the traditional friendly ties between Serbia and Russia, as well as the peoples of the two states, the statement said.
- Serbia to Open Embassy in Latvia
On February 18, Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić paid an official visit to Latvia, where she met with the country’s President and the Speaker of the Sejm.
The main news of the visit was the confirmation of the opening of the Serbian Embassy in Riga — the country’s diplomatic center in the entire Baltic region.
According to Brnabić, Latvia’s support is important for Serbia on its path to the European Union. “Serbia’s strategic priority is full EU membership. We have an ambitious goal – to complete all necessary reforms by the end of 2026,” she said.
Ana Brnabić’s visit to Riga and her pro-European statements despite intensified contacts between members of the Serbian government and senior Russian officials are another illustration of the multi-vector policy of the current Serbian authorities.
- Trial of Dodik
The Bosnian Prosecutor’s Office is seeking a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a 10-year ban on holding public or political office for Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and former acting director of the RS’s Official Gazette Miloš Lukić.
Dodik and Lukić are accused of violating a July 2023 decision by the High Representative, Kristijan Šmit, which banned the entry into force of the B&H National Assembly’s Law on the non-application of judgments of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite this, Dodik signed the decree and Lukić published it in the Official Gazette.
The verdict could be a turning point for the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If Dodik is convicted, he will lose the opportunity to hold public office, and thus the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, who enjoys the absolute trust of Belgrade and President Aleksandar Vučić himself, will officially find himself outside the political process in B&H.
Ahead of the court’s final decision, which is released in a few days, the Republika Srpska leadership warned of possible “radical decisions” in the event of a conviction. “The RS National Assembly, the RS Government and all RS institutions will act in such a way as to adopt radical decisions in response to any verdict of the BiH Court,” the statement said. It was decided that the RS National Assembly would be in permanent session, and the RS Government would urgently assess the political and security situation at a meeting.
