Demonstrations against President Aleksandar Vucic, Belgrade, Serbia

'"Maidan" as recognition tool: Kosovo as part of Serbia or Serbia without Serbia.'

Serbia warns of ‘new Maidan’​

1 Apr, 2022
Pro-western political parties may try to overthrow the government after upcoming elections, claims Serbia’s Interior Minister

Serbia's Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin has warned that the country’s pro-western political parties may challenge the results of this weekend's election and try to organize a ‘Maidan'-style coup in his country. The vote will be held on Sunday.

Vulin was referring to the violent Western-backed 2014 uprising in Ukraine, which ousted the elected government of President Viktor Yanukovich.

“Immediately after the elections, I expect that pro-Western political parties, already financially and politically encouraged, will plan to challenge the election results, which will end in an attempt to overthrow the government,” Vulin said in an interview with Sputnik radio earlier this week. “Western political analysts have been saying that Serbia needs a new Maidan.”

The minister further explained that “Maidan is a place where Ukraine lost its democracy and where thugs from the Right Sector and other Nazi organizations overthrew the legitimately elected government, and then installed and removed whoever they wanted.”

Vulin alleged that conflicts in the streets in Serbia are being prepared for immediately after the elections: not because of the elections themselves, but because President Aleksandar Vucic refused to impose sanctions on Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine and has decided to maintain Serbia’s military neutrality.

“Our independence is worth our struggle, and whether it will be challenged - yes, it will be challenged. And yes, they will try to prepare a new Maidan for us,” he said.

Throughout the interview, Vulin echoed president Vucic’s position that Serbia is the last “free nation” in Europe, as the country faces mounting pressure from western states since Russia launched its military attack on Ukraine last month. Serbia is the only European state that has so far maintained a neutral stance on the conflict and has refused to follow the EU’s steps to punish Russia.
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www.aroj.net

VICTIMOUS THREATS OF BUGAJSKI TO OUR COUNTRY AND VUCIC: New Maidan is needed in Serbia (VIDEO)

JANOS Bugajski, an associate of the Jamestown Foundation and an advocate of Serbia recognizing the false state of Kosovo, sent ominous threats to Serbia and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić. Photo: Printscreen – As for Vučić, he depends so much on Moscow now, that he even tells us that...
www.aroj.net www.aroj.net

VICTIMOUS THREATS OF BUGAJSKI TO OUR COUNTRY AND VUCIC: New Maidan is needed in Serbia (VIDEO)

JANOS Bugajski, an associate of the Jamestown Foundation and an advocate of Serbia recognizing the false state of Kosovo, sent ominous threats to Serbia and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.
– As for Vučić, he depends so much on Moscow now, that he even tells us that if you do not support me in this election, then the situation will be even worse. What kind of elections are we talking about then, what kind of foreigner are we talking about, which depends on ultranationalists who support war criminals in the Kremlin. Serbia needs a second Maidan, a second revolution. If the party cannot reform and if it does not lose the elections, the only choice is to do what the Ukrainians did when they overthrew their corrupt government that was connected to Moscow – said Bugajski.

Let us remind you, Bugajski is an expert on the Balkans who sees guilt exclusively in Serbs, and he accused Belgrade of undermining Montenegro and BiH, and directly accused Vučić of undermining the integrity of Montenegro.
 
'More pressure on Vucic to impose sanctions to Russia:' The UK is supplying Kosovo with weapons.

thefrontierpost.com

Serbia: Delivery of weapons by UK to Kosovo an unfriendly step - The Frontier Post

BELGRADE (RIA Novo-sti): The supply of weapons by the UK to the self-proclaimed Republic of Kos-ovo is an unfriendly step to-wards Serbia and the arming of terrorists, said the head of the Serbian Minis-try of Internal Affairs Alex-ander Vulin.Earlier, Vecernje Novo-sti reported that official...
thefrontierpost.com thefrontierpost.com
14 hours ago

Weapons supplies to Kosovo run counter to UNSC resolution 1244 - Vucic​

17 APR, 2022
The Serbian leader recalled that under resolution 1244 only one military force - NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) - van be present in Kosovo and Metohija

BELGRADE, April 17. /TASS/. Weapons supplies to Kosovo from the United States and the United Kingdom run counter to United Nations Security Council resolution 1244, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday.

"Britain supplied NLAW (man-portable anti-tank missile systems), which proved themselves as dangerous, including in Ukraine. The United States supplied armored vehicles. Turkey trains soldiers. Is resolution 1244 still in force?" he said in an interview with TV Pink.

The Serbian leader recalled that under resolution 1244 only one military force - NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) - van be present in Kosovo and Metohija. However, in violation of this resolution Pristina is forming its own army with the West’s support.

Serbia’s Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija unilaterally proclaimed independence in February 2008, which was recognized by the United Nations Court of Justice in 2010. However, more than 60 countries, including Russia, China, India, and five European Union member states are categorically against recognizing Kosovo’s independence. Earlier, Israel was against recognizing Kosovo’s independence. Nevertheless, Kosovo has been seeking to join international organizations, including UNESCO and Interpol.
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'Denazification is coming: Western Balkans as NATO "territory" through Kosovo joining NATO.'

Disputed territory seeks NATO and EU membership​

18 May, 2022
Kosovo wants to be part of EU and NATO, leader of breakaway province says in Washington

Kosovo wishes to become a member of NATO and the European Union, the self-proclaimed republic’s prime minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday, while visiting the US. Serbia’s breakaway province declared independence with American support in 2008, but has not been recognized by Belgrade, the UN, or even all the EU member states.

Kurti made the announcement during an event hosted by the Atlantic Council on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, he met with officials of the Biden administration – including national security adviser Jake Sullivan and USAID chief Samantha Power – and several members of Congress.

One of them, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) expressed “unequivocal support” for Kosovo’s aspirations to join “international and regional organizations, especially NATO,” Kurti said on Twitter.

Kosovo is a province of Serbia which was occupied by NATO after the bloc's 78-day air war in 1999. Its provisional government declared independence in 2008 and has been recognized by the US and many of its allies, but not Russia, China, and Belgrade itself. Five EU members – Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain – also regard it as part of Serbia, making Kurti’s bid a tall order.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has publicly revealed that Belgrade is under tremendous pressure from the EU to join the anti-Russian sanctions regime and recognize Kosovo, in exchange for vague promises about maybe joining the bloc some day.

Kurti is the leader of Vetevendosje, a nationalist ethnic Albanian party opposed to any negotiations with Serbia, whose platform at one point sought unification with Albania proper. The US backed his ouster in March 2020 after just six months as PM, but he came back to win the February 2021 election in a landslide.

Wednesday’s announcement is actually the second time Kurti has publicly articulated joining the EU and NATO as Pristina’s political objectives. He first did so on Saturday, at a lecture sponsored by the Albanian Studies program at DePaul University in Chicago.

“Kosovo is a democratic success story in the region, which is why it needs support to become a member of NATO, EU and other regional and international organizations without further delay,” Kurti told his audience, according to Albanian media.

Noting that Kosovo was the first to join the US and the EU in imposing sanctions on Russia, Kurti argued that it would be a “great victory” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to see Kosovo’s “progress” reversed.

Putin had brought up Kosovo’s declaration of independence in last month’s meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, pointing out that the US and its allies created a precedent in international law which Russia then applied to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has just joined the General Staff of the Serbian Army so we wait for news
Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo blocked roads near two key border crossings with Serbia as tensions rose in the region a day before two Kosovar government regulations involving Serbian-issued license plates and ID documents come into force.

The Kosovar government has said that on August 1 travelers arriving from Serbia will have their Serbian-issued documents exchanged for new entry-exit identification documents issued by Pristina, valid for three months
The Kosovo police confirmed today that the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings are closed to traffic. The police state that the decision to close the border crossings was made after local Serbs blocked the roads leading to these crossings.
 
From RT:

Kosovo planning to attack Serbs – Belgrade​

Aleksandar Vucic has urged Pristina and Western powers to avoid conflict, but vowed to use force if Serbs are persecuted

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused on Sunday the ethnic Albanian government in Kosovo of planning to crack down on the local Serb population. He issued a plea for peace in the breakaway province, but added that Belgrade won’t stand idly by if ethnic Serbs are targeted for another pogrom.

The “regime” in Pristina wants to “impose on the people in northern Kosovo-Metohija things they have no right to impose,” Vucic said, using the Serb name for the province. He added that Kosovo police have been deployed to the administrative line with Serbia in order to confiscate Serb documents and license plates, starting at midnight.

“The atmosphere has been heated up, and the Serbs will not suffer any more atrocities,” Vucic said in Belgrade on Sunday. “My plea to everyone is to try to keep the peace at almost any cost. I am asking the Albanians to come to their senses, the Serbs not to fall for provocations, but I am also asking the representatives of powerful and large countries, which have recognized the so-called independence of Kosovo, to pay a little attention to international law and reality on the ground and not to allow their wards to cause conflict.”

Vucic’s comments came as Pristina prepared to implement a controversial law requiring ethnic Serbs living in the disputed territory to replace their Serbian-issued vehicle registrations with Kosovo plates, starting on Monday. Kosovo also may require the replacement of other types of Serbian-issued documents, such as identification cards, and it will make a renewed attempt to ban entry or issue temporary papers to travelers with Serbian-issued documents or license plates.

Church bells rang in alarm across the northern part of the province on Sunday, amid reports that armed ethnic Albanians were gathering for another pogrom of the remaining Serbs – as had happened in 2004.


The Serbian president claimed last month that the registration policy was part of an effort to force remaining Serbs out of Kosovo. He referred to the move as “a new Storm,” in reference to the Croatian military operation in 1995 that forced most Serbs to flee Croatia.

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic told reporters on Saturday that “the Albanian side in Kosovo and Metohija is literally preparing to raise hell for Serbs.”

Kosovo’s prime minister Albin Kurti, an ethnic Albanian, has denied that the transition to non-Serbian documents is anything more than applying “law and justice” equally to all citizens.

In a video message, Kurti called his government “democratic and progressive, which loves, respects and implements the law and constitutionalism, peace and security, for all citizens without distinction and for our entire common country,” and urged everyone to trust his government and not fall for “misinformation” from Belgrade.

Vucic has claimed that “provocations” against Serbs living in Kosovo have increased since Kurti, a nationalist who champions the idea of Albanian unification, became prime minister last year. The number of such incidents, including attacks by ethnic Albanians on Serbian cemeteries and Orthodox churches, has jumped 50%, he told reporters on Sunday.

“We do not want conflicts and we do not want war,” Vucic said in his speech. “We will pray for peace and seek peace, but let me tell you right away: There will be no surrender, and Serbia will win. If they dare to start persecuting, harassing and killing Serbs, Serbia will win.”

Vucic also speculated that Pristina is trying to take advantage of the Ukraine crisis by provoking a conflict in which Kurti would be portrayed sympathetically as Kosovo’s version of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, with the Serbs cast in the role of Russia and President Vladimir Putin.

NATO occupied Kosovo in 1999, after a 78-day air war against what was then Yugoslavia. The province declared independence in 2008, with Western support. While the US and most of its allies have recognized it, Serbia, Russia, China and the UN in general have not.
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Russia warns Kosovo against conflict​

The Foreign Ministry condemned the discriminatory crackdown on Serbs by Pristina, the US and EU

The government in Pristina and its backers in Brussels and Washington should stop their provocations and respect the rights of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.

Serbian troops were put on high alert and local residents in the north of the breakaway province erected barricades, as ethnic Albanian police prepared for a crackdown.

Air raid sirens and church bells went off across northern Kosovo on Sunday, after prime minister Albin Kurti announced a police operation to ban Serb license plates and identification documents. Kurti claimed this was about equal justice and law in all the territories his government claims.

Pristina’s decision is unreasonable and discriminatory, and their forced replacement of personal documents is “another step towards the expulsion of the Serb population from Kosovo, as well as the Kosovo Serb institutions that ensure the protection of the rights of Serbian residents from the arbitrary whims of radicals in Pristina,” Zakharova said.

Kurti is “deliberately escalating” in order to launch an armed crackdown, not just against the Serbs in Kosovo but against Belgrade, which the West wants to “neutralize” using the ethnic Albanians as proxies, added Zakharova.

Russia calls on “Pristina and the US and EU behind it to stop provocations and respect the rights of Serbs in Kosovo,” the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

Earlier in the day, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said his country had “never been in a more complex and difficult situation”and that the Pristina authorities are trying to exploit the current situation in the world to initiate a conflict while painting itself as a victim.

No Serbian troops have crossed the administrative line into Kosovo yet, the Defense Ministry in Belgrade said, describing such rumors circulating on social media as “disinformation” on behalf of Pristina.

Local Serb residents erected barricades at three checkpoints along the administrative line, where police answering to Kurti were deployed to stop all vehicles with Serbian plates or documents. There were unconfirmed reports of gunfire and injuries among the civilians.

Kosovo was occupied by NATO in 1999, after a 78-day air war against Yugoslavia. The ethnic Albanian government in Pristina declared independence in 2008, with US backing, but has not been recognized by Serbia, Russia, China or the UN.
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And then there are tweets like this!!!

Just in case @avucic and #Serbia have any degenerate thought to militarily intervene in #Kosovo following what is soon going to happen, we remind them they will end up like #Iraq and Saddam Hussein!
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1553773489827356673

I don’t know who that guy is but that’s crazy!!!
 
SOTTREADER said:
What's going on between Kosovo and Serbia right now? Apparently tensions on the border?
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Just a simple old sharade. Designed by Vucic, and the West in order to further broaden Kosovo's independence. This time by giving them rights to have their own car licence plates. Serbian people dont likes that, so Vucic always prepare some nice sharade for them to think that something is going to happen. It will not.

Never forget that Serbia (and Kosovo) is country totally under the ocupation of the West. Vucic, and every other politician on the Balkans are working for the West. Everything you see on Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia, Monte Negro is orchestrated by the West.

This time the same, not worth the mention, just a ussual sharade for the serbian people.
 
SOTTREADER said:
What's going on between Kosovo and Serbia right now? Apparently tensions on the border?
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According to a few smart Internet onlookers, the US is scheming to open up a second front against Russia via the puppet Kosovo gov't. Also see Joe's post:

I'll post this here for now rather than starting a new thread since it's not really a 'thing' yet.

Seems there's some 'tension' going down in Kosovo in the form of a renewed push by the Kosovo muzzie leadership towards possibly expelling the 80k Serbs living there (total pop. of Kosovo is circa 2 million, most of whom are Albanian muslims). Bone of contention is new 'rules' on renewing personal documents and vehicle license plates that apply only to Kosovar Serbs, starting from tomorrow (Aug 1st). New rule is that Serbs living in Kosovo (mainly northern part bordering Serbia) will no longer be allowed to enter Kosovo with docs and license plates issued in Serbia, must be in Kosovo.

Coincidentally (:lol:) 4 days ago, the Kosovar Pres. and delegation popped up at the US State Dept. where they had a 'love in'.


Where' Brzezinski and his "a few stirred up Muslims"?
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Beau said:
According to a few smart Internet onlookers, the US is scheming to open up a second front against Russia via the puppet Kosovo gov't. Also see Joe's post:
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Yep, that's the impression I am getting and I got to catch a few of the remarks made by Russia about it while I was doing my nightly rounds. I will translate an article from Spanish RT below:

The Russian Foreign Ministry has denounced the "deliberate" escalation of tensions by the authorities in Pristina.
Kosovo

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Sunday urged Kosovo, as well as the US and the EU, "which are behind them", to "cease provocations" and respect the rights of Serbs in that partially recognized republic.

"The decision of the Pristina 'authorities' to start applying discriminatory and unjustified 'rules' on the mandatory replacement of personal documents and registration numbers of local Serbs as of August 1 is one more step towards the expulsion of the Serb population from Kosovo, forcing out the Serbian institutions in Kosovo that protect the rights of Serb residents from the arbitrariness of the government of Pristina radicals led by 'prime minister' Albin Kurti," Zakharova stated.

The spokeswoman also noted that the Kosovo leadership "is deliberately aggravating [the conflict] in order to launch a violent scenario," adding that through these actions the West "wants to 'neutralize' [Belgrade] through the Kosovo Albanians."

Furthermore, Zakharova stressed that the current situation "is yet another example of the failure of the EU mediation mission" and that the community, which Serbia seeks to join, proposed to Belgrade to "de facto accept the disenfranchisement of its compatriots."
"We call on Pristina, the U.S. and the EU, which are behind them, to cease provocations and respect the rights of Serbs in Kosovo," he concluded.

The comments from the Russian Foreign Ministry came amid rising tensions between Belgrade and the partially recognized republic over Pristina's decision to implement a controversial law requiring Serbs living in the territory to replace their Serbian-issued vehicle registrations with Kosovo license plates as of August 1.

Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Sunday that the Kosovar army plans to carry out an attack on the Serb population living in the northern autonomous province of Kosovo and Metojia. Earlier it was reported that Serbs in these territories were building barricades, while Kosovar special forces have closed the border crossings and Belgrade has put the Army on alert.
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While she's always on point, I don't think this represents a failure on the part of the US and the EU (and maybe she was simply being diplomatic), I think this tension is exactly what they were looking for in this case. We shall see where things land, and if the propaganda ramps up in the coming days.
 
SOTTREADER said:
View attachment 61762

NATO to intervene?
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'Yes, they (EU, US and NATO) are trying to create a "Great Albania" under the guise of NATO.'

NATO force on alert amid Kosovo tensions​

31 Jul, 2022
Units of NATO-led KFOR have been spotted in the north of Kosovo region amid tensions between Belgrade and Pristina

The NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeepers were spotted late on Saturday in the city of Kosovska Mitrovica, located in the north of Serbia’s breakaway region of Kosovo.

The force, apparently Italian carabinieri units, were spotted guarding a bridge across the Ibar river, footage from the scene circulated by local media shows. The bridge splits the city into the northern Serb-populated part, and the predominantly ethnic-Albanian south.

KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping mission, said in a statement on Sunday evening that it was “prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardized.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553835332541480960

Reportedly placed on high alert, a large KFOR convoy of some 30-40 vehicles was spotted heading towards the frontier between the breakaway region and the rest of Serbia. Kosovo special forces were also spotted moving equipment and personnel.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553847306981711876

KFOR said it would “take whatever measures are necessary to keep a safe and secure environment in Kosovo at all times, in line with its UN mandate.”

Ethnic Serbs have reportedly set up barricades on several roads in Kosovska Mitrovica and its vicinity. At least one Serb has been reportedly hospitalized after being beaten by Kosovo police units as he tried to get through the barricades.

The tensions come as the breakaway region's ethnic Albanian government moved forward with its controversial plan to ban Serb license plates and identification documents. Kosovo prime minister Albin Kurti claimed the move was about equal justice and law in all the territories his government claims.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused Kosovo authorities of seeking to “impose on the people in northern Kosovo-Metohija things they have no right to impose,” warning that Belgrade will not stand idly by.

“The atmosphere has been heated up, and the Serbs will not suffer any more atrocities,” Vucic said.

Earlier, the Serbian president alleged the controversial registration plan was a part of an effort to force remaining ethnic Serbs out of Kosovo.

Caroline Ziadeh, head of the UN mission in the province UNMIK, urged both sides “to address issues in good faith through the EU-facilitated dialogue, to strengthen stability and security for all.”

NATO occupied Kosovo in 1999, after a 78-day air war against what was then Yugoslavia. The province unilaterally declared independence in 2008 with support of the US and most of its allies. The breakaway region, however, has not received universal support, with Serbia Russia, China and the UN as a whole not recognizing it.
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Pristina’s goal is exile of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija — Serbian official​

1 AUG, 2022
The head of the Chancellery for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, stressed that Serbia is committed to maintaining peace and stability

BELGRADE, August 1. /TASS/. The goal of authorities of unrecognized Kosovo is to drive the Serbian population from Kosovo and Metohija, said Petar Petkovic, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija under the Serbian Government.

"Actions [of Prime Minister of unrecognized Kosovo] Albin Kurti are aimed directly against Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and their objective is to drive Serbian people and Serbian institutions from Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic said. Belgrade will continue issuing documents of the Republic of Serbia to all citizens from Kosovo and Metohija, he added.

The situation in Kosovo and Metohija deteriorated dramatically on Sunday evening after Kosovo’s police had closed the checkpoint at the border with Serbia. In response, Serbs in the north of Kosovo took to the streets and blocked key highways. Police and the Kosovo Force (KFOR), a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, were pulled to the bridge across the Ibar River, which links Kosovska Mitrovica’s northern and southern parts.

In his address to the nation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said earlier that the situation for ethnic Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija has aggravated after Pristina had decided to ban Serbian documents starting from midnight from Sunday to Monday. The Cabinet of Kosovo postponed the decision later for one month until September 1, 2022.
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In Kosovo as in Ukraine, the same Western ‘invisible hand’ foments conflict​

By Aleksandar Pavic, political analyst - 1 Aug, 2022
In both cases, the West put no pressure on the side it supports to adhere to signed international deals

In addition to the conflict in Ukraine, Europe is now faced with the prospect of renewed conflict in Kosovo, Serbia’s breakaway province (officially named Kosovo and Metohija according to the Serbian constitution). Kosovo’s unilateral secession was recognized by the main Western powers in 2008. This came nine years after NATO’s attack on Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, after which NATO forces occupied the province and helped install an ethnic Albanian-led government dominated by former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army terrorist organization.

The current crisis was triggered by Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, who initially wanted to force the majority Serb population in the north of the region to accept Kosovan license plates and ID papers starting from August 1, and to ban entry to the province or issue temporary papers to travelers with Serbian-issued plates and documents.

Kurti attempted a similar stunt in September 2021, triggering a crisis where local Serbs in northern Kosovo organized roadblocks and Kosovo police reportedly beat up and intimidated Serb civilians, while the authorities in Belgrade put the Serbian military on high alert and ordered overflights by fighter planes over the administrative border between Serbia proper and Kosovo. The EU eventually brokered a temporary agreement, pending a final deal that was supposed to have been reached by April 2022, under EU auspices. However, nothing has come of that.

From Kosovo to Ukraine, it seems there’s a pattern regarding agreements in which Western powers have a hand. Since the start of this year’s special military operation in Ukraine, Russian officials have repeated time and again that the West had never pressed Kiev to fulfill its part of the 2015 Minsk 2 peace agreement, intended to end Kiev’s standoff with the Donbass republics. Recently, former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko openly admitted that Ukraine never intended to fulfill the agreement but was merely buying time until it could build up an army capable of overrunning Donbass.

The situation with Kosovo is not much different. The EU brokered an agreement between Pristina and Belgrade in April 2013, the so-called Brussels Agreement, by which Serbia was supposed to dismantle its “parallel” police and judicial structures in Kosovo and convince the Kosovo Serbs to accept integration into the Kosovo police and legal system, without recognizing the territory’s independence. And the Belgrade authorities did this, despite a large public outcry over the move.

However, there was a second part to the agreement, by which Pristina was obligated to form an Association of Serb Municipalities, with substantial local powers and ties to Serbia proper. The Albanian part of the Brussels Agreement has not been fulfilled to the present day. Or, as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic noted on July 31, that 3,390 days have passed since the Brussels Agreement was signed, and still no sign of the Association.

As in the case of Ukraine, the collective West has put absolutely zero pressure on the side it supports to fulfill its part of a signed international agreement. And again, as in the case of Ukraine, this has encouraged Pristina to take an increasingly belligerent stance, which may very well lead to a more serious conflict.

There’s an additional ingredient to the Kosovo mix, thanks to the Ukraine conflict. Namely, the Serbs – both in Serbia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina – stand practically alone among European peoples in refusing to join Western sanctions against Russia, and in consistently demonstrating open support for Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. As a result, the government in Belgrade has been under constant, increasing pressure by the main Western capitals, as well as the EU and NATO, to change its policy and join the West’s collective economic suicide.

Since Belgrade has proven to be a tough nut for the West to diplomatically crack when it comes to opposing Russia, it’s not at all far-fetched to imagine that the Kosovo Albanians just might be seen by the West as a useful tool by which to additionally turn the screws on Belgrade. In the same cynical way in which the unfortunate Ukrainians are being used to pressure and weaken Russia.

The coming days and weeks will certainly tell us a great deal. The temporary reprieve brought on by the Kosovo authorities’ one-month postponement of their ban on Serbian license plates and identification documents until September 1 may seem encouraging. However, it should always be borne in mind that the West has all the tools necessary to pressure Pristina to fulfill the Brussels Agreement and generally, to just behave. Kosovo is totally dependent on a steady flow of Western financial infusions and NATO’s security support.

The Serbian president has publicly stated that Serbia is not interested in a renewed conflict but won’t allow its people to be harmed and abused by Kosovo’s security apparatus. If the main Western powers don’t rein in Kurti and, instead of pressing him to fulfill previously signed agreements, allow him to use force and make his announced unilateral moves come September, or even earlier, it can mean at least a couple of things: 1) that the threat of new violence in Kosovo was used by the West to extract some more concessions from Belgrade, perhaps behind the scenes, having to do with the formation of a new Serbian government, or 2) that the West’s beleaguered political elites want and, perhaps, desperately need the breakout of another conflict in Europe. Or perhaps even both of these.

The only thing that is, unfortunately, difficult to imagine, is the US and the EU actually doing something to fundamentally contribute to a peaceful resolution to this crisis.
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