The United States of America (US) welcomes Serbia's decision to host a military exercise with its global peace partners. This is what the US Embassy in Serbia told Radio Free Europe.
"We are happy to be part of Platinum Wolf", said this embassy.
The authorities in Serbia have made an exception to the moratorium on holding military exercises with foreign partners, in order to conduct the "Platinum Wolf 23" exercise.
It is about international tactical training, in which the members of the NATO alliance, including the USA, also participate.
In the US Embassy's response to Radio Free Europe, it is said that the United States values the military partnership with Serbia and greatly respects the Serbian military and its leadership.
"We are committed to a strong bilateral military and defense partnership with Serbia, focused on our shared goals for peace and stability in the region and globally," the US Embassy in Serbia said in a statement.
Also, it has been added that joint work builds bonds of friendship and trust that enable both parties to contribute together to peace.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced that the military exercises that Serbia will conduct with NATO troops "will not go unnoticed" in Russia.
"As for the exercises, of course we will follow them very carefully," said Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov.
As Beta reports, Peskov added that Belgrade "is under unprecedented pressure to draw Serbia to the side of those who adhere to the anti-Russian stance."
The Minister of Defense of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, has announced on April 5 that in the middle of June the "Platinum Wolf" exercise will be held in the south of Serbia, in which the armies of the United States of America, Serbia and ten partner countries.
Serbia imposed a moratorium on holding military exercises with foreign partners in February 2022, days after Russia began its aggression against neighboring Ukraine.
At that time, official Belgrade announced that it will not impose sanctions against Russia, but also that the Army of Serbia, taking into account the policy of military neutrality, was suspending all military exercises with foreign partners, both from the East and from the West, until a future decision.
On April 5, the Ministry of Defense of Serbia told Radio Free Europe that the moratorium remains in effect, while the "Platinum Wolf" exercise is an exception to that moratorium./REL