A Russian military presence in Serbia would be in the interests of Belgrade, according to presidential candidate Tomislav Nikolich, who's considered the main rival of current Serbian President Boris Tadich in next month's election.
“If we already have a US military base in Kosovo, why can't we have a Russian base in Serbia. They would watch and help each other and Serbia would become completely safe because it would mean a balance of force,” Tomislav Nikolich said. Tomislav Nikolich is referring to Kosovo's Bondsteel base which is 40 kilometres from Pristina. Several thousand U.S. soldiers are stationed there and it is considered to be the largest U.S. military base built abroad since the Vietnam war.