US Vice President Mike Pence has accused Russia of attempting to undermine democracy in Western Balkans and change the international borders by force, Associated Press informed Gazeta.

Speaking at the US-Adriatic Charter in Podgorica, Pence noted that the Europeans “must be resolute and uncompromising in the face of aggression from an unpredictable country that casts a shadow from the East.”

The US official also accused Moscow of attempting a coup in Montenegro in October 2016 in order to interfere with the country’s accession to NATO. Russia denied these accusations, while Montenegro entered NATO in June.