Bosnia-Herzegovina "has the right" to decide whether or not to join NATO, the Russian ambassador to the Balkan country has said, warning, however, that Moscow "reserves the right to respond" in such a scenario.
Speaking to broadcaster FTV in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ambassador Igor Kalbukhov said: “If (Bosnia-Herzegovina) decides to be a member of any alliance, that is an internal matter. Our response is a different matter. Ukraine’s example shows what we expect. Should there be any threat, we will respond.”
Kalbukhov stressed that by accusing Russia of "allegedly preparing a plan," the West poses a threat to Bosnia-Herzegovina's security.
He said that Moscow does not have a plan in the works but that they "will respond having analyzed the strategic and geopolitical situation.”
NATO membership is not feasible for the Balkan country given the current lack of consensus on the matter in the country, he added.
European leaders and NATO officials have been feeding Kyiv with promises to accept Ukraine into the trans-Atlantic alliance, as well as the 27-nation European Union, which is said to be angering Moscow. However, as soon as Russia invaded its neighbor at the end of February, in what Moscow is calling a "special military operation," all the pledges faded away at once.
Some of NATO's 30-member countries supply weapons, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine, but NATO as an organization has refused to do so. The organization announced that it will not launch any military action in support of Ukraine, which is a close partner but at the time has no clear prospect of joining.
A senior Ukrainian official previously said during the talks with Russia on ending the war were very difficult but said there was "certainly room for compromise.”
In a hint of possible compromise, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said earlier that Ukraine was prepared to accept security guarantees that stop short of its long-term objective of NATO membership, which Moscow opposes.
