As the United States and Albania celebrated the 100th anniversary of bilateral relations, two B-52 bombers conducted a flight over several countries in the region. A demonstration of support for NATO partners according to Washington, against a backdrop of tensions with Moscow.
The American bombers left their base in the United Kingdom yesterday afternoon to fly over the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, the seat of government in Skopje in North Macedonia, the center of Tirana, the capital of Albania, and the coasts of Montenegro.
North Macedonia is the latest country to join NATO, and its chief of staff told local television that the protest proved Macedonia’s skies were safe.
His Albanian counterpart also hailed a ” unity message “. This is the stated goal of the US Air Force: to demonstrate the commitment of the United States to their allies against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the enlargement of NATO.
Last June, American F35 planes already flew over the Baltic States. The strengthening of transatlantic relations is a stated priority of the American president and NATO is one of the ” security foundations of the United States, Joe Biden recently said.
The Americans are not the only ones showing up in the region. Russia has recently intensified its intelligence and propaganda actions in the Balkans and on the Adriatic Sea.