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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced criticism from a close ally as ethnic tensions flared again in the Balkans.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti hit Blinken, who had criticized the Kosovo government for "the actions it took against the advice of the United States and European partners", according to a statement from Blinken, reports Fox News.
Kurti did not back down, telling "The Guardian" newspaper in an interview: "I think it's not just unfair, wrong and hurtful, but at the same time very naive." He also said that the comments are softening Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo ignored Blinken's request to change course and refrain from actions that would inflame tensions. Kurti said Kosovo police will remain in the Serb-majority northern region, a move the US believes will not help defuse the situation. In response, the US announced that it was canceling Kosovo's participation in future NATO military exercises.
Asked for comment on Kurti's criticism, a State Department spokesman referred Fox News Digital to Blinken's comments in Norway on Thursday, where he said: "The escalation there and the actions taken there lead to Kosovo and Serbia in the wrong direction, because the answer we are looking for is de-escalation, avoiding any unilateral action and returning to this process of normalization and efforts led by the EU (because) this is what promises both a future of integration in the Euro-Atlantic community ", Blinkeni said during his press conference in Oslo.
Blinken said the US would oppose any action taken by either country that would make EU integration a more distant prospect.
" We have been very clear in our concerns about some of the recent actions that have been taken. We have told this directly to the leaders involved, including Prime Minister Kurti. And we're asking that both of them act responsibly going forward ," Blinkeni added.
French President Emmanuel Macron was also involved in this debate and directly blamed Kurti and Kosovo for the confrontation. With the rebuke of Kurt as an ally, the US has been accused by some diplomatic circles of siding with Vucic, who has consistently been a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
" I don't think that the recent statements from the United States or France necessarily mean that they are on Vučić's side as much as they are just critical of the Kurti government's decision to send the mayors to their offices and insist that they have legitimacy. to govern, knowing full well that this is likely to inflame tensions ," Helena Ivanov, a fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.
" In general, I think that the West just wants things to remain calm and will criticize any move that is likely to ignite tensions, hence the critical tone towards Kosovo ," added Ivanov.
Facing mounting pressure from the Europeans, the presidents of Serbia and Kosovo met in Moldova to discuss ways to ease tensions on Thursday. Reuters reported that after her meeting with Vucic, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani accused him of "complaining and ... not telling the truth."
Osmani, however, offered some hope, saying that Kosovo could hold new elections in the north with Serb participation if they were legally called. Vucic left without commenting to the media, according to Reuters.
For the latest crisis in the north, Kurti blamed Vucic for fueling tensions and igniting what he called a "fascist mob" that attacked NATO forces.
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