Trump nominates ambassadors to Serbia and Bosnia with aim to limit Russian and Chinese influence
Michael Young and Ronald Johnson told the Senate they will focus on economic ties, stability and countering Moscow and Beijing in the Western Balkans.
President Donald Trump’s nominees for ambassadorial posts in the Western Balkans told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week that their top aims would be to deepen economic links, help preserve regional stability and blunt the influence of Russia and China.
Nominees and priorities
Michael Young, nominated for the U.S. ambassadorship to Belgrade, emphasized to senators the “great potential” for American companies in Serbia and said closer economic relations are in the mutual interest of both countries. Young is a former president of the University of Utah whose career also includes diplomatic service in the administration of George H.W. Bush, involvement in negotiations around German reunification, and leadership of the Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Ronald Johnson, nominated for the post in Bosnia and Herzegovina, appeared alongside Young at the hearing and outlined similar priorities: strengthening trade and investment ties and supporting continued stability across the region.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Jim Risch warned that Russia and China already have footholds in Serbia, particularly in the energy and technology sectors, and added that Belgrade cannot expect to deepen ties with the United States if it continues to cooperate with Washington’s geopolitical rivals.
The nominees spoke before the committee amid a State Department characterization of Serbia as a strategic crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe, a positioning that the nominees said informs their approach.
The hearings took place last week; the candidates framed stronger economic engagement and limiting competing foreign influence as central to U.S. policy in the Western Balkans.
Photo: KSL/Amerikanska armija)
