Vučić: Kosovo chief Kurti plans attack on Serbs at the same time as the Ukrainian offensive

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić warns of a planned escalation in Kosovo, which should be accompanied by further offensive operations by the Ukrainian armed forces. Previously, he repeatedly accused Kosovo of wanting to incite the Serbs against the KFOR force stationed in the region.

The prime minister of partially recognized Kosovo, Albin Kurti, is reportedly planning a new attack on the Serbs, starting at the same time as a series of major operations by Kiev as part of the counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops. This could begin before the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11 and 12, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on TV Prva. He explained:

"I now expect a major offensive by Ukraine in two directions – one in the direction of Bakhmut [Artyomovsk] and the other, much more significant, in the direction of Energodar and Melitopol. I believe they have several dozen brigades. ... When that starts, you will see an offensive by Kurti in Kosovo."

Vučić said that Ukraine sees the counteroffensive as a step that will change the course of the conflict and allow the country to get "a ticket to join NATO." This is particularly important in the run-up to the North Atlantic Alliance summit in Vilnius on 11 and 12 July.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed the country's application to join NATO on September 30, 2022, after the Kremlin signed the treaties on the incorporation of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions into Russia.

In May, the Ukrainian president expressed the expectation that Kiev wanted to hear "something more" than just words about the alliance's "open doors" at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. The Kremlin cited the prevention of Ukraine's accession to NATO as one of the goals of the special military operation.

In early June, the Ukrainian army went on the offensive. Bloomberg and CNN wrote that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were only looking for weaknesses in Russia's defenses, and in reality what was happening was more likely to be described as "battlefield reconnaissance". The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian offensive was repulsed on all fronts. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces catastrophic.

Earlier, Vučić expressed concerns that further escalation in Ukraine "is still imminent" and that he was concerned. He linked what is happening in Ukraine with the increasing pressure on Serbia on the issue of sanctions against Russia, recalling that Belgrade had not imposed any restrictive measures against Moscow for almost a year and a half, and he did so "confidently, strongly, decisively and responsibly."

The Serbian president has also repeatedly accused Kurti of wanting to play off the Serbs against KFOR [Kosovo Force, the NATO-led international force responsible for stability in Kosovo]. At the end of May, the Serbian head of state stated:

"All because of [Kurti's] desire to provoke a major conflict between the Serbs and NATO. He alone is to blame for everything that happens, washes his hands in innocence and says that he has nothing to do with it."

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