Dveri Calling for Cancellation of Platinum Wolf Exercise as It "Stomps" on Serbia's Military Neutrality

Borko Puskic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Serbian Movement Dveri on April 10 urged Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic to "immediately cancel the announced disgraceful military exercise Platinum Wolf in southern Serbia, of our army with the NATO alliance, under the conductor baton of America, which stomps on the concept of Serbia's military neutrality."

Dveri MP and a member of the parliamentary Defense and Internal Affairs Committee, Borko Puskic, told reporters outside the Defense Ministry building that the decision to hold that exercise was "anti-constitutional and causes suspicion that the government is not leading a sovereign policy but rather carrying out orders from U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill."

Puskic said the decision to hold the exercise was also "illegal" because soon after the start of the war in Ukraine the government had issued a conclusion that all activities related to military exercises with foreign partners would be suspended.

The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that a government conclusion issued in March excluded the Platinum Wolf tactical military exercise from the moratorium on exercises with foreign partners, adding that the making of that decision meant "fulfilling the obligations Serbia has taken on with regard to the Serbian Armed Forces' participation in multinational operations."

The Ministry described Puskic's statement that the exercise "stomps on the concept of Serbia's military neutrality" as "inaccurate and inadequate," and added that the international exercise was carried out seven times in total between 2014 and 2021, and that its holding this year was in no way a precedent.