VLAD WHO?:

North Macedonia suddenly finds itself on the front lines of Russia's war on Ukraine. As the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), joining in March 2020, the small Balkan nation of 1.8 million has boldly censured and joined sanctions on Moscow - despite being heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies.  

President Stevo Pendarovski, in power since May 2019, is now bidding to bring North Macedonia into the European Union (EU), which certain EU members including Greece and Bulgaria have opposed.

A recent International Republican Institute poll showed that 79% of the North Macedonian public favors EU membership, which would pull the new country closer to the West and further from Russia.

Pendarovski is already speaking the EU's language. In February, the North Macedonian leader billed Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "an attack on the democratic order and a threat to the stability of Europe." On March 28, his nation joined several other European countries by expelling Russian diplomats from Skopje.

In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Asia Times' correspondent Kourosh Ziabari, Pendarovski spoke candidly about war, peace, oil and his nation's long push to finally become an EU member.

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