The US threatened Kosovo to withdraw its troops from the region
If Pristina does not cancel XNUMX% tariffs on Serbian goods, the Americans may liquidate their Bondsteel base and withdraw army units from Kosovo.
This was reported by the Kosovo publication Gazeta Express, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The newspaper, citing its American sources, published an article that the US Ambassador to Kosovo, Philip Cosnett, told Kosovo “Prime Minister” Albin Kurti that his country was considering withdrawing its troops from Kosovo if XNUMX% tariffs on goods from Serbia were not abolished in the near future. The publication believes that this threat is real, since for the first time information about the possibility of withdrawing the American Bondsteel base due to the stubbornness of the separatist authorities of Kosovo on the issue of duties appeared several months ago, but then it did not find official confirmation.
“I think the next step in the process [of the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations] should be that Kosovo immediately cancels the fees without any preconditions,” Cosnett told the Kosovo news agency KOHA recently. “And we are confident that if this happens, the Belgrade government will take positive steps to continue the dialogue.” The abolition of duties is very important.”
Earlier in an interview with Radio Free Europe, Albin Kurti said that he would not rush to abolish tariffs until elections in Serbia are held in April this year. Now, if the publication’s insider information is correct, the “prime minister” will have to quickly respond to the US message.
It should be added that the recently appointed US Director of National Intelligence, Donald Trump's special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia settlement, Richard Grenell, also said that “the XNUMX% levy should be immediately canceled in order to continue the dialogue.”
The US has threatened Kosovo with the withdrawal of its troops from the region.