Pejanović Đurišić: Institutions are strengthening their capacity to counter Russian influence; Pusić: US election results reflect a revolt against recklessness, contempt and violence towards citizens

There is greater awareness of Russian influence today, while institutions, despite their weaknesses, are gradually strengthening their capacity to identify and counter it, with the support of the European Commission and its mechanisms. It is not perfect, but it is better than it was ten years ago – said former Minister of Defence of Montenegro and diplomat, Dr Milica Pejanović Đurišić, at the regional PLENUM 2026 conference, entitled „Montenegro on the Threshold of the European Union: The European Future of the Western Balkans Between Democracy and Geopolitics“.

At the session entitled „The US and the EU: A Fading Alliance and the Balkans in the New Geopolitical Order“, which opened the final day of the conference, participants agreed that geopolitical changes and the reassessment of transatlantic relations require Europe to assume greater responsibility for its own security, while Western Balkan countries must take a more active role in shaping their future rather than waiting for decisions by major powers.

Speaking about Russian influence, Pejanović Đurišić stressed, according to a press release by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), that Montenegro had recognised relatively early the risks it posed to democratic processes and the country's European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

She recalled attempts to polarise society and slow down reforms during Montenegro's NATO accession process, noting that it later became clear that Russia's opposition had been directed at the broader integration process.

- No matter how quixotic the struggle to draw attention to this influence may sometimes have seemed, our society recognised the risks and became more vigilant - Pejanović Đurišić stressed.

She assessed that transatlantic relations were going through a crisis, but emphasised the need to distinguish between genuine differences in the strategic interests of Europe and the United States and political reactions that occasionally heighten tensions.

She recalled that these challenges did not begin with Donald Trump's administration, but were also present during Barack Obama's presidency, when US foreign policy increasingly shifted its focus towards the Pacific.

- Even then, it was not easy to explain why Montenegro belonged in NATO, not because of conflicting strategic interests, but because the US focus was elsewhere - Pejanović Đurišić said, highlighting the importance of persistent dialogue and articulating shared interests.

She noted that, despite their differences, NATO allies reaffirmed their common strategic objectives at the latest NATO summit, while their approach to Ukraine remains an important test of the alliance's future.

Pejanović Đurišić also expressed her expectation that the newly elected US Congress would contribute to maintaining NATO's stability.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Vesna Pusić, believes that the results of the US congressional elections confirm the importance of active political engagement.

- Everything seems impossible until it happens - Pusić recalled Nelson Mandela's words.

She stressed that politics requires initiative.

- There are many lessons for us in the region: nothing good will happen if we simply sit back and wait - Pusić said.

Speaking about broader geopolitical changes, she noted that Trump's rise to power had made the shift in international relations more visible.

- It did not all begin with the Trump administration, but it was brought into the open under it. One could say that all three global powers are now on the same side when it comes to dividing the world into spheres of influence, something we had not seen before - Pusić noted.

She warned that „small countries have considerably less room for manoeuvre in such an order, which makes a clear strategy and political initiative particularly important“.

She also assessed that the US elections were significant for the Western Balkans, pointing to certain similarities between the political circumstances in the United States and Serbia.

- These are two very different countries, one exceptionally large and the other small, but there are certain similarities. We do not know what will happen following these elections, but we do know that an entrenched ruling establishment has been shaken. We will have to wait and see to what extent it recovers and how much its influence changes, but this is an important and necessary step - Pusić said.

Analysing the reasons behind the Democrats' electoral success in the United States, she pointed out that, alongside economic issues and the cost of living, dissatisfaction with the government's treatment of citizens and the undermining of their dignity had also played an important role.

- I believe this was also a revolt against recklessness, contempt and violence towards citizens and their dignity. I recognise similar elements in the election results in Serbia as well - Pusić stressed, adding that it remains to be seen how the newly elected representatives will use the opportunity they have been given.

Veton Surroi, a publicist from Kosovo, assessed that the world was undergoing tectonic geopolitical changes, while the US strategic shift towards the Pacific further underscored the need for Europe to assume greater responsibility for its own security.

He pointed to the importance of distinguishing between long-term US interests and the policies of the Trump administration and Congress, noting that the Western Balkans was no longer among the United States' priorities.

He singled out a bipartisan legislative initiative in the US Congress addressing regional stability, European integration and the normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

- The next two years will be crucial for aligning regional interests with US policy - Surroi assessed.

Reflecting on the region, he said that stabilitocracy had dominated the approach of Western partners towards the Western Balkans over the past fifteen years or so.

- Leaders such as Aleksandar Vučić enjoyed support because they had the capacity to destabilise the region, with the expectation that they would not use it. This approach produced political and social inertia, but we can see that this is now changing - he said, pointing to the elections in Serbia and protests in Albania.

He added that economic pressures, particularly rising prices and dissatisfaction with government policies, were becoming increasingly important drivers of social change.

- Montenegro has a significant advantage, as it is expected to sign its EU accession treaty in 2027. However, it is crucial that no security vacuum emerges between the signing and ratification - Surroi warned.

He stressed that geopolitical crises, particularly those in Ukraine and the Middle East, underscored the need for a policy of peace.

- Europe cannot be a continent of peace unless the Western Balkans becomes a shared space of peace - Surroi concluded.

PLENUM 2026 was organised by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) from Podgorica, the Regional Academy for Democratic Development (ADD) from Novi Sad, the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Sarajevo and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB).