BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Soldiers are marching, battle tanks are rumbling on the streets and fighter jets are flying overhead. No, it’s not another war in the Balkans. It’s Serbia preparing to stage a hero’s welcome for Russian President Vladimir Putin with the country’s first military parade in 30 years.

The red carpet reception for Putin, as he arrives in Belgrade on Thursday, comes as Serbia finds itself caught in the middle of Moscow’s row with the West over Ukraine. The Balkan nation is increasingly confronted with a difficult choice: to continue down its officially declared path toward European Union membership, or give up that goal and forge even closer ties with its traditional Slavic ally Russia.