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—NOTE: The information about the number of soldiers and their real purpose is in the end still unclear.
➡️ Apparently more planes have come transporting more American soldiers, and the Ministry of Defense is still silent about their arrival at this moment.
ℹ️ Information reported by our source in Bulgaria.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇷🇸/🇷🇸 NEW: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the top leadership of Republika Srpska and senior Serbian military commanders in Belgrade to discuss plans to modernize the Armed Forces and assess regional security risks stemming from growing military cooperation between Albania, Croatia and Kosovo.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—UPDATE: Vucic responded that he is ready to extend a hand to Hungary’s incoming government but will not accept any “humiliation.”
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
Note: Stevanović’s party only holds 5 seats in the National Assembly. He because the speaker because he has a tie breaker position and 2 larger right wing parties which are uncompromisingly pro-Ukraine put him there so the left wouldn’t take the position. Ukraine aid and NATO membership have overwhelming support both in the National Assembly and in the general public, with Slovenia being one of the most pro Ukrainian countries in Europe.
You can read more about Stevanović here, and how his Serbian ethnic background affected his election prospects.
🇪🇺 Legion Europa | Group Chat 🇪🇺
—🇷🇸/🇷🇸 NEW: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will tomorrow host a high-level meeting in Belgrade with the top leadership of Republika Srpska, including the entity’s president, prime minister, parliament speaker, Serb member of the BiH Presidency and the ruling party leader.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇬🇷/🇺🇸/🇲🇰 NEW: Greeks reacted sharply after Melania Trump referred to “Macedonia” in a speech during a meeting with Macedonian First Lady Rozi Mickoska, omitting the country’s official name “North Macedonia.”
➡️ The Greek Embassy in Washington has reportedly taken formal diplomatic action following the incident.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇭🇺/🇪🇺/🇺🇦/🇷🇺 NEW: Hungarian leader Péter Magyar said he opposes fast-track EU accession for Ukraine and insists that Ukraine’s EU membership should be decided by a national referendum in Hungary.
➡️ He added that he expects EU sanctions on Russia to be lifted after the end of the war in Ukraine.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇷🇴/🇭🇺 Romanian President Nicușor Dan:
Congratulations Péter Magyar and Tisza Party on your landmark victory! The Hungarian people have spoken with a clear and powerful voice.
Romania and Hungary are neighbours, partners and fellow EU and NATO members. I look forward to building a new chapter in Romanian-Hungarian relations, based on mutual respect, open dialogue and our shared commitment to European and Euro-Atlantic values.
There are great opportunities to work together on regional security, economic cooperation and the welfare of our peoples.
Felicitări! Gratulálok! 🇪🇺
#BREAKING | 🇪🇺 🇭🇺 — EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says "Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight."
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#BREAKING | 🇭🇺 — Hungarian opposition Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar, has secured a parliamentary majority and is on track for a two-thirds constitutional supermajority.
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—🇺🇸/🇦🇱 NEW: Former New York City mayor Eric Adams has been granted Albanian citizenship under a special decree signed by President Bajram Begaj, following a request submitted by Adams himself.
➡️ Albanian and US media note that the move formalizes Adams’ long-cultivated ties with Albania and its diaspora, which he highlighted during previous visits and in public statements.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🛢🇭🇷/🇭🇺 NEW: Croatian PM Andrej Plenković says Hungary can fully replace Russian crude via Croatia’s Adriatic pipeline and Krk terminal.
➡️ He accused Viktor Orbán’s government and MOL of spreading a “false narrative” that Zagreb lacks capacity to supply Hungarian and Slovak refineries.
➡️ Plenković insists JANAF’s transport capacity exceeds the maximum output of the Százhalombatta and Bratislava plants, effectively offering Budapest a route to end its dependence on Russian oil if it chooses to use it.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—☪️ 🇦🇱/🇨🇭 NEW: The Albanian Muslim community has withdrawn its plan to turn the historic Läufferhaus in the village of Siebnen, canton Schwyz, into an Islamic cultural center after a residents’ petition opposing the project gathered around 5,000 signatures, largely organized by the conservative SVP.
➡️ The association says it is shelving the project “for now” and will seek an alternative location in consultation with local authorities to avoid further tensions.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇽🇰/🇷🇸/🇷🇺 NEW: Kosovo PM Albin Kurti told the London Defence Conference that Serbia is acting as a proxy of Russia.
➡️ He claimed there are 48 Serbian forward operational bases around Kosovo’s border, all located inside what is formally designated as the NATO security zone.
➡️ He added that the Kremlin maintains an office within Serbia’s Ministry of Defense in Belgrade and that the Balkan regional centers of Russia Today and Sputnik are based in Serbia.
🗒 Note: the picture just illustrates the claims of PM Kurti but does not assume they are true.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇺🇸/🇧🇬 NEW: A total of 625 servicemen arrived at Varna Airport on an Atlas Air Boeing 747-443, from where they were transported to the joint Bulgarian-American facility at the “Novo Selo“ Training Range.
➡️ Later when the Boing 747 was taking off, it was struck by lightning.
➡️ This arrival of troops was part of the "Atlantic Resolve'' security assurance initiative.
➡️ In such frame, American formations participate on a rotational basis in bilateral, joint or multinational exercises in the Baltic States, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.
ℹ️ Information reported by our source in Bulgaria.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇷🇴 NEW: Romania’s Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare is holding high-level talks in Washington during the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings with US officials, World Bank President Ajay Banga and IMF leaders, aiming to boost Romania’s credibility and attract new investments.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇭🇺/🇷🇸/🇸🇰/🇷🇺 WATCH: Hungary’s PM-elect Péter Magyar has accused a “godfather” figure, explicitly naming Russia, of standing behind the emerging alliance between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Hungary’s outgoing leader Viktor Orban, and Slovakia’s Robert Fico.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—❗️🇸🇮/🇺🇸 URGENT: Slovenia’s newly appointed parliament speaker Zoran Stevanović says he will move ahead with a referendum on the country’s withdrawal from NATO.
➡️ Stevanović, leader of the Resni.ca party, stressed he advocates what he describes as a more “independent” and “sovereign” foreign policy for Slovenia
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇹🇷 Turkey emerges as second global power in foreign bases
➡️ Turkey has become the country with the second highest number of overseas military bases in the world after the United States, with 133 foreign bases compared to 887 for Washington, surpassing traditional powers like the United Kingdom (117), Russia (29) and India (20).
➡️ In Africa, Ankara has built a dense network of strategic installations in Somalia, Libya and Chad, consolidating itself as a key security actor that challenges the influence of France, Russia and Gulf states while expanding its military, economic and political footprint.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
🇮🇷 NEW: Iran is already using stablecoins to facilitate trade in oil, weapons, and commodities.
News | Markets | cointelegraph?si=4ge6Mqs-_0fvJCM2">YouTube
—🇭🇺/🇷🇺 NEW: Hungary’s incoming leader Péter Magyar said his new government will seek “pragmatic cooperation” with Russia, warning that a halt to Druzhba pipeline deliveries would threaten Hungary’s energy security and must be urgently addressed.
➡️ He added that he wants to discuss future energy agreements directly with President Vladimir Putin in order to secure stable oil and gas supplies.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇭🇺/🇷🇺/🇪🇺/🇺🇦 NEW: Hungarian leader Péter Magyar said Hungary will continue purchasing oil from Russia and sees no reason to reconsider the country’s decision not to take part in the European Union’s planned €90 billion loan package for Ukraine.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
🇭🇺⚡️— Péter Magyar:
Together we have replaced the Orbán regime, together we have liberated Hungary, we have taken back our homeland.
#BREAKING | 🇭🇺 — Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar says incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has congratulated him on his victory in the parliamentary elections.
The Global Eye | Subscribe
#BREAKING | 🇭🇺 — Hungarian opposition Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar, has secured a parliamentary majority and is on track for a two-thirds constitutional supermajority.
The Global Eye | Subscribe
—🇷🇸 Serbian Empire: a brief but explosive Balkan powerhouse
➡️ The Serbian Empire under Stefan Dušan reached its peak in the mid‑14th century, briefly dominating much of the Balkans and parts of the Byzantine world before rapidly fragmenting after his death in 1355.
➡️ In just a few decades, Serbia expanded across modern-day Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and northern Greece, but weak succession and internal divisions left the empire vulnerable to Hungarian pressure and the advancing Ottomans.
🔗 Imperator Cat
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—UPDATE: The Federation of BiH government tried to insert a contentious “state property” amendment into the Southern Interconnection gas law at the last minute, but swiftly withdrew it and passed the original version instead, after what local media describe as direct US intervention and pressure in Sarajevo.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇸🇮 NEW: Zoran Stevanović, leader of the Resnica (Truth) party, has been elected Speaker of Slovenia’s parliament with 48 votes in a secret ballot, backed by the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) of Janez Janša and other center-right allies.
➡️ His election strengthens the emerging center-right bloc and increases the likelihood that SDS leader Janez Janša will assemble the numbers for a fourth government once coalition negotiations conclude.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English
—🇲🇩/🇲🇩 NEW: The Transnistrian de facto authorities in Tiraspol have requested a meeting with the Moldovan government in Chișinău, officially citing the need for guarantees for Transnistria’s residents and their return to permanent places of residence.
➡️ The move appears prompted by Moldova’s withdrawal of citizenship from separatist figure Mova and the refusal to allow him entry into the country.
✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English