From Europe to the Balkans: What does the new US Security Strategy warn about?

The new National Security Strategy of the United States of America for 2025 has sparked debate across the continent, because it resembles no previous American document for Europe.

It hides nothing behind diplomatic phrases: for Washington, Europe is a continent in decline, both economically, demographically and politically, while the Balkans appear as a laboratory of the consequences of this decline.

The document, prepared by the Administration of President Donald Trump, is more than a security vision, it is a harsh diagnosis of the path that Europe is following and a warning that the time of unconditional US support is over.

At the core of the strategy lies the idea that Europe has lost its historical rhythm. The strategy argues that Europe has entered a cycle of self-limitation, where political and institutional ideologies are pushing the continent away from its economic and cultural power.

The report describes Europe as a continent that is also losing the foundations of its identity. Demographic decline, mass migration and social polarisation are presented in the document as factors that threaten internal European cohesion.

The war in Ukraine has added a heavy weight to Europe’s shoulders. Instead of presenting the war as an existential battle for the future of Western democracies, as previous US administrations have done, the new strategy sees Russian aggression in Ukraine as a burden that is pushing the continent towards resource depletion, economic weakness and escalating risk.

The Balkan region has traditionally been a site of great rivalries and remains today one of the sensitive points of Russian influence in Europe. Serbia, with its deep ties to Moscow, presents the main challenge to the new US strategy in the region. Washington seeks stability and closure of conflicts, while Belgrade continues to play a two-way game, balancing between the West and Moscow for political and strategic gains.

For Kosovo, the change in American tone constitutes a serious warning.

It remains a key US ally, but the report clearly shows that Washington no longer sees the Balkans as a high-level strategic priority. Support will continue, but not with the intensity seen in the decades after the war.

The US wants the European Union to take a greater role in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and in managing the dynamics of the region.

It is at this point that the biggest problem emerges: the EU has not shown full ability to manage the Balkans itself. The enlargement process is blocked, member states are divided, and the lack of a clear strategy for the region has created a vacuum that external actors, such as Russia, China, and Turkey, have quickly exploited.

The US strategy seems to recognize this reality, but despite this, it demands that Europe take more responsibility, with the argument that the US can no longer be the sole guarantor of the continent’s security.

At the heart of the entire report is a clear message: America does not want to see a dependent Europe. The goal is not to withdraw from the continent, but to promote a deep European reform, where EU countries take on more responsibility for their own security.

The US wants a strong, competitive Europe, capable of defending its borders and opposing global authoritarianism, without expecting constant interference from Washington.

Finally, the strategy emphasizes that if Europe manages to reform and regain self-confidence, the region can enter a new phase of stability and integration. But if the EU continues to move slowly, divided and without vision, then the Balkans will remain a fragile area, where Russian and Chinese influences grow and where frozen conflicts can easily return.

/The Geopost