Bolton: America hopes Belgrade and Pristina will find a mutually acceptable solution, including a territorial exchange

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor in the administration of former US President Donald Trump, John Bolton, stated that America hopes Belgrade and Pristina can jointly find a solution acceptable to both sides, including a territorial exchange, RTV reports.

Such a resolution would contribute to stability in the Balkans, he assessed in an interview with Politika, but noted that America could have done more in the Balkans.

"The US has, for years, stepped back and left the resolution of disagreements to Western Europe to mediate and assist the parties, and it seems that was a good approach," he said.

However, Bolton believes that, during his time in the Trump administration, the White House could have "done more, because there is an interest in stabilizing a region that has been unstable in recent years and bringing the conflict to an end. This would allow us to focus on larger issues arising from the emergence and growth of new alliances between China and Russia, as well as threats to Europe stemming from the situation in the Middle East and East Asia."

"This has been ongoing for a long time – since the breakup of Yugoslavia," Bolton pointed out, expressing hope that a solution acceptable to both parties would soon be found.

In the interview, given ahead of the US presidential election on November 5, Bolton noted that the election outcome could significantly influence the course of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, given that the presidential candidates support opposing sides.

"As I have said, Kamala Harris's policy on Ukraine, like many other national security issues, will largely be the same as Biden’s. But I think Trump is increasingly emphasizing that he does not see Ukraine as the victor, that he does not sympathize with Ukraine but rather sympathizes more with Russia's position. In his presidential nomination, he proposed a solution to the conflict that largely resembles the type of agreement Moscow would like to see," he emphasized.

As Bolton also noted, this will be the closest presidential race in modern US history, and there is currently no way to predict who will win, even though there are only a few weeks left before the election.

"Given the US electoral system, the outcome will be determined by just a few states with the majority of electoral votes. The discussion mostly revolves around seven states, and even in those seven, the race is very tight. With less than a few weeks remaining, it is difficult to say what events could shift the electoral landscape and in what directions, but it is certain that the race will be uncertain until the very end," Bolton concluded.