United States Urges Belgrade to Withdraw Forces from Kosovo Border After Serbian Military Build-Up
The United States has called on Belgrade to pull back its forces from the border with Kosovo following a significant Serbian military build-up. The White House labeled the deployment of tanks and artillery near the frontier as “unprecedented” and warned that it was highly destabilizing. The build-up comes after deadly clashes occurred at a monastery in northern Kosovo last weekend, resulting in the deaths of a Kosovar police officer and three Serb gunmen.
“We are monitoring a large Serbian military deployment along the border with Kosovo,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. “That includes an unprecedented staging of advanced Serbian artillery, tanks, mechanized infantry units. We believe that this is a very destabilizing development. We are calling on Serbia to withdraw those forces from the border.”
The purpose of the build-up remains unclear, according to Kirby. In a phone call with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged immediate de-escalation and a return to dialogue. Vucic has not directly denied the recent build-up but rejected claims that his country’s forces were on high alert.
“I have denied untruths where they talk about the highest level of combat readiness of our forces because I simply did not sign that and it is not accurate,” Vucic told reporters. “We don’t even have half the troops we had two or three months ago.”
The United States also expressed concern about Serbian military mobilizations during a phone call between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Kurti requested increased assistance from the US against Serbia’s warfare plans.
The clashes last weekend began when heavily armed Serb gunmen ambushed a patrol near the Serbian border, resulting in the death of a Kosovar police officer. The assailants then barricaded themselves at an Orthodox monastery, leading to a firefight in which three gunmen were killed and three were arrested. Kosovo’s government accused Belgrade of backing the armed operation, and a member of a key Kosovo Serb political party admitted to leading the gunmen.
The NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo, known as KFOR, will be increasing its presence following the attack, according to Kirby. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the alliance is prepared to boost the KFOR force to address the situation.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade and Moscow have refused to recognize its status. Tensions have been escalating in recent months between Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority and Serb minority, particularly in northern Kosovo.