US 'Knows' Russia Influences Serbian Opposition On Agreement With Kosovo - State Dept.

The United States "knows" that Russia is influencing the opposition in Serbia regarding the agreement with Kosovo to normalize relations despite not having any direct evidence to back the claim, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar said on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2023) The United States "knows" that Russia is influencing the opposition in Serbia regarding the agreement with Kosovo to normalize relations despite not having any direct evidence to back the claim, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar said on Monday.

"I cannot confirm that we have direct evidence, but we do know that Russia thorough its online presence, through its media disinformation has tried to contribute to far-right opposition to this normalization plan and to the Euro-Atlantic path of nearly all countries in the region," Escobar said during a briefing.

Escobar made the remark in response to a question whether the United States has observed Russian influence on the alleged far-right movements in Serbia who are opposing the agreement to normalize relations with Kosovo.

The US diplomat said he is confident that there is a "tremendous amount" of Russian influence regarding the Serbia-Kosovo agreement.

On Saturday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo leader Albin Kurti held talks in Macedonia with the participation of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak. The talks were held behind closed doors in the town of Ohrid and lasted for 12 hours.

Vucic told reporters after the talks that an agreement was reached on "some points" of the proposed implementation plan.

Serbia considers the province of Kosovo and Metohija to be its sovereign territory, has never recognized Kosovo as an independent state and moreover, UN Resolution 1244 proclaims that the province is part of Serbia.