German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said today that the countries of the Western Balkans deserve greater support in their path toward membership in the European Union.

Before her trip to Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, she said that the EU cannot afford to have what she called “gray zones” of security.

“We cannot afford to allow gray zones in Europe, and we need to do everything that we can to close the avenues that Russia can use its policy of instability, disinformation, and interference … This includes support for the countries of the Western Balkans to strengthen their democratic institutions, to improve their sustainability and to offer economic opportunities for the people,” she said.