Vučić rejects Osmani's statements that Serbia threatened to escalate the conflict in Kosovo

2025-07-12 15:20:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Vu?i? rejects Osmani's statements that Serbia threatened to escalate the

Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? has rejected statements by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani that official Belgrade has threatened to escalate the conflict with Pristina.

"We have not deployed any soldiers, we have not launched any machinery, we do not even think about it, we want to work, to build," Vu?i? said on July 12.

Two days ago, on July 10, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said that she has "reliable information" that US President Donald Trump has "recently prevented" a possible escalation of the security situation led by Serbia in Kosovo.

"Regarding Vjosa Osmani, that we are supposedly preparing for conflicts, this morning I had a meeting with the highest representatives of the US State Department who are visiting Serbia... do you think something can be done without the Americans and the Chinese knowing what is happening?" Vu?i? asked.

He mentioned earlier in the day that in a meeting with the senior representative of the US State Department, Brendan Hanrahan, they discussed global issues, bilateral relations, and the security of the Western Balkans.

"I emphasized that Serbia remains committed to preserving peace and stability, and that we see dialogue as the only way to resolve open issues and respect international law," Vu?i? said in a Facebook post.

In his posts on social media, Vu?i? did not provide details on whether he discussed with the American official President Osmani's recent statements or those of President Trump.

Neither the acting government of Kosovo nor the acting Ministry of Internal Affairs have responded to Radio Free Europe's requests to provide more details about the security threat from Serbia and what escalation of the situation is in question.

Official Belgrade has said that Osman's statements are "false".

US President Donald Trump's recent claims that he prevented a conflict between Kosovo and Serbia have attracted attention, but have also created confusion, as public opinion is lacking details - such as the time period in which such an escalation could have occurred.

What did Trump say?

President Trump wrote on the Social Truth network on June 15 that during his first presidential term, Kosovo and Serbia were "heading toward a serious conflict" and that war was on the verge of breaking out, but that he stopped it.

He accused his then-successor, former President Joe Biden, of "damaging the long-term perspective with some very senseless decisions," but that he would "fix it again."

"During my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were fighting fiercely, as they had for decades, and this long-running conflict threatened to escalate into war. I stopped it," Trump wrote.

Then, at a White House press conference on June 29, he said that, in recent months, the US has stopped or prevented conflicts between several parties, including Serbia and Kosovo.

"Serbia, you know, was preparing for war, with a group that I won't even mention, because it didn't happen. We managed to prevent it, but I have a friend in Serbia who said they're going to go to war again. I'm not going to say it's Kosovo, but it's Kosovo. They were preparing for a serious war, we prevented it. We prevented it for trade. They wanted to trade with the United States. I said: we don't trade with those who fight," Trump said.

Then, on July 9, he reiterated that he had stopped the war in the region, threatening to suspend trade.

"I've managed to resolve a lot of situations, like the one with India and Pakistan, Kosovo and Serbia. I said: are you going to fight? We're not going to trade. And it seems that's been quite successful," Trump said.

These statements come at a time when tensions between Kosovo and Serbia remain high, especially in northern Kosovo, where the majority of the population is Serb.

The escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo culminated in September 2023 when an armed group of Serbs, led by Milan Radoi?i? - former vice-president of the Serbian List - attacked the Kosovo Police in the village of Banjska and killed a police sergeant.

Kosovo described the attack as terrorist and accused Serbia of being behind it - something official Belgrade denied.

Osmani mentioned this attack in Washington, saying that such events confirm that there is a real risk of similar incidents in the future, therefore, she said, it is important to have not only military, but also political deterrence of Serbia from such plans./ Rel