Miller: Kosovo and Serbia should immediately work on de-escalating the situation

The United States strongly condemns the coordinated violent attacks on the Kosovo Police and calls on Kosovo and Serbia to refrain from any actions or rhetoric that could further inflame tensions, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated.

When asked whether, given that the Kosovo Police is partially funded by the United States, they will seek an investigation into potential excessive use of force and police brutality, especially in light of reported sniper use, Miller emphasized that Kosovo and Serbia should immediately, in coordination with international partners, work on de-escalating the situation.

"So, first of all, we strongly condemn the coordinated violent attacks on the Kosovo Police. We express our deep condolences to the family of the Kosovo Police officer who was killed in the line of duty. The perpetrators of this crime must be held accountable via a transparent investigative process. We call on the Governments of Kosovo and Serbia to refrain from any actions or rhetoric that could further inflame tensions and to immediately work in coordination with international partners to de-escalate the situation, ensure security and the rule of law, and return to the EU-facilitated dialogue," Miller conveyed the State Department's position at a press conference.

When asked about the "reported use of snipers," he said he had not seen those reports confirmed.

"I have seen the reports, but I won't comment on them because, as far as I know, they have not been confirmed," Miller added.

Asked to comment on Gabriel Escobar's recent statement on "Pavlovic Today," where he claimed that Albin Kurti's letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken accusing Lajcak and Borrell "of colluding with Russia to have a biased approach toward Kosovo" was factually incorrect, and whether they would call on Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani to condemn the attacks on Lajcak and Borrell, Miller said that this was a comment from the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and he had nothing to add to it.

As he said, Escobar was speaking on behalf of the State Department.