Vucic: Every day there may be an escalation; Kurti will not stop sending Special Forces

Everyone knew that Pristina was to blame, that Albin Kurti was to blame, but no matter what he did, the Americans, English, and Germans would firmly and strongly, and some others a little less, always be in favor of preserving the so-called independence of Kosovo, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic pointed out tonight.

In response to the statement that for the first time, the West sided with Serbia, and that they said that Pristina was to blame for the escalation, as well as the question of how this shift came about, Vucic told TV Prva that he was glad that the people of Serbia were satisfied that the results of responsible politics were sometimes visible.

"However, I'm not as optimistic as you are. I see things differently from you. I think the pictures are terribly chosen, deliberately against the Serbs. They don't show the moment of who started the conflict, the Kosovo Police, not NATO. I thought that KFOR was pulling out the Serbs, but no, the Kosovo police tried to do it behind the backs of NATO soldiers," he explained.

He recalled that the Kosovo police had shot at Dragisa Galjak, who could have been killed.

"They fought for his life. Everyone is pretending that it didn't happen. Everyone is talking about how NATO soldiers were injured from blows and a Molotov cocktail. Of course, we are sorry for the injured soldiers, but the only one who was shot was Galjak. Nobody mentioned that, especially not the world media," he pointed out.

Vucic announced that he would visit Galjak in the hospital the following day.

"Everyone knows that Pristina is to blame, that Kurti is to blame. It is not in dispute, they will say that. But we have nothing to gain from that because strategically, and Kurti knows it, whatever the Americans, the English and the Germans do, firmly and hard, the others are a little less firm and hard, and they will always be somewhere along, they will be in favor of the fact that the so-called independence of Kosovo must be preserved, that the Serbs should not be allowed to threaten the territorial integrity of Kosovo at any time, that up to 1,000 Serbian soldiers and policemen should never be allowed to return to Kosovo and Metohija, nor broad autonomy for Kosovo and Metohija, but it must be a non-governmental organization. The Serbs are to blame for everything else," he stressed.

He pointed out that Kiurti provoked something every day, and that it had been easy to predict that what had happened would follow, and the Western embassies had known that as well.

He stated that even today the EU had come out with a statement from "both sides", that the Serbs should go to the elections and get, as he said - nothing, and they would rule with three percent because they had been told that the elections had been legal.

"When they ask what's going on with the CSM, they say it needs to be done. We don't need your experts, everything is written in the papers, and everything is agreed. We're wasting time and there could be an escalation every day. Kurti will not stop sending Special Forces," he emphasized.

I don't know what the solution to the situation will be; important talks are coming up in the coming days

Vucic also noted that today an Albanian "nicely said" that Kurti fantasized about war, and that Serbia and the Serbs in Kosovo were least interested in a conflict with NATO, and added that at the moment he did not know what the solution to the current conflict would be, and that he would think about it in the coming days and after the talks that laid ahead.

He stated that he would have talks with Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar on Monday and Tuesday and that he was waiting to see what the Serbs from Kosovo would get.

"I don't know what we will accept, let me negotiate, we will know from Tuesday. It was a very difficult conversation with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, then they also brought Vjosa Osmani, which was interesting, that expert also intervened, her chief of staff so it was even more difficult, believe me, it was difficult for them too," Vucic said.

When asked if re-elections in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo were a solution, Vucic said that there was no solution at the moment.

"I don't have a solution at the moment, I admire all of you who think you can get an answer within 30 seconds or one day, I have to think for days, and measure everything because in the end it is known who will be responsible and guilty. I have to negotiate in the coming days and see what the Serbs will get, what kind of security," Vucic pointed out.

As he says, he must see what our people will get, not just what they will try.

"We want peace and a lowering of tensions, but I felt bad while listening, and I listened to everything and suffered everything, but it is getting harder and harder for me to endure this about Kosovo and Metohija and which has nothing to do with me personally. I am not an optimist, difficult days are ahead of us, we are ready to talk, to advocate for peace," the President said, stating that perhaps the elections would suit the Serbs because they would have their own government in those municipalities and some kind of peace.

After talking with Escobar and Lajcak, I will invite the Serbs from Kosovo

Speaking about yesterday's conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Vucic says that it was an extremely difficult meeting.

"I think that I have had the sharpest performance so far, civilized, polite, of course, but I said everything within the limits of what is allowed. I respect both of them, I understand their concern, there will be no conflict on European soil," he said.

The President says that he will invite Serbs from Kosovo only from Monday, Tuesday, when he sees the Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and the EU's special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak.

"I don't understand how anyone imagined getting out of this, it's not a problem that the Serbs win the elections, but withdraw the Special Forces. No, they want to persecute neither guilty nor responsible people so that we can have elections, and they will continue to lie to us like 10 years ago that they were going to form the CSM. But I also know that the Serbs would like elections," he pointed out.

Commenting on Kurti's statements that the Serbs in the north of Kosovo are fascist police, Vucic said that he should be ashamed.

"Shame on him, he calls the Serbs fascists who died at the hands of fascists and Nazi brigades. But everything is possible nowadays, including Kurti saying all kinds of things," he said.

He also stated that Kurti believed that he was the one who should "reason the Serbian side" and participate in the democratization of Serbia.

"He wants to make us understand and participate in the democratization of Serbia and the overthrow of me, he just has to get in line," Vucic said, answering the question of whether Pristina would respond to the demands of the Serbs in Kosovo and remove the Albanian mayors and the Kosovo special police from of the north.

Vucic pointed out that as president he fought at every step to protect the interests of Serbia.

He recalled that yesterday on the sidelines of the Summit of the European Political Community in Moldova, he could hear that Serbia was only being criticized for not imposing sanctions on Russia.

Commenting on the interview he gave to CNN, which interviewed Kurti the day before, and the assessment of analyst Djordje Trikos that the result was 5:0 for Vucic, the president said that that interview had been different and more correct than before.

He repeated that he was doing everything in his power to resolve the situation in Kosovo and that he was doing it with a lot of passion because he knew how important the situation in Kosovo was and how many dangers were hidden behind it all.

He said he spoke to four US officials - US President's Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, US Ambassador Christopher Hill, Senator Chris Murphy, and Derek Chollet, about which no statement had been written.

He stated that he had shaken hands with 38 leaders in Moldova, as well as that he had had 14 bilateral meetings.

"I take care of every word and every letter, about the topic that everyone wants to criticize, but it will not solve the issue. I do my best and bearing in mind the kind of campaign that is being conducted, the analysis of the hybrid war against Serbia. I have to deal with all the issues, Kosovo and Metohija, schools, dedicated industry, and the police. I offered to discuss all issues, but no one responded," Vucic said.

He warned that in Serbia we had a society where no one talked to anyone and that the biggest problem was that we could not agree on the key issue, which was Kosovo.

He points out that on the one hand, there is a part of society in Serbia that wants Kosovo's independence and says we don't really care about Kosovo, while on the other hand, and there are those who are on strike against independence in Belgrade but will not go to Rudare.

I shook hands with Zelenskyy; he did not talk about sanctions

Vucic also said that on the sidelines of the Summit of the European Political Community in Moldova, he had shaken hands and spoken with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but that this did not mean that Serbia was imposing sanctions on Russia.

Vucic said that at that gathering he had spoken and shaken hands with more than 38 colleagues and that some in Serbia criticized him for shaking hands with Zelenskyy, while others, who had constantly demanded sanctions against Russia, were now silent.

He said that Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel had introduced him to Zelenskyt, with whom he had spoken for four minutes.

"Whatever you do is good, they are silent. Why should I not shake hands with the President of a great country that does not recognize Kosovo, that has not done anything bad to Serbia, and with which we have never been enemies," he underlined.

Vucic said that when he shook hands with Putin, they immediately said that he was against the West.

"And why would you be against the West?” he asked, adding that he would then receive a "genius question - since you stood with Zelenskyy, are you going to impose sanctions on Russia?", and all just because he stood with Zelenskyy for four minutes.

He said that the President of Ukraine, since they had just met, had not mentioned the sanctions against Russia, although, he said, he certainly wanted Serbia to introduce them.

"We talked about integrity, the UN, and everything else. We met for the first time, and should he mention that in the second sentence? Serbia has not changed its decisions even after 16 months," Vucic underlined.

Vucic also reported that in the action to collect illegal weapons, after two mass murders at the beginning of May, 67,000 mines and explosive devices and weapons, along with a little more than two million bullets, had been collected until tonight.

When asked when the elections would be held, he replied that they would be "whenever they (the opposition) want".

"Whenever they want, they have deadlines, but whenever they want. As for the election and the time of holding it, it is a fountain of wishes for them - local, parliamentary, provincial, and a referendum for the president," he said.

Commenting on regional media coverage of the protests, specifically a report on Croatian television where they called him "Putin from next door", Vucic says that "it's better to be Putin than Pavelic from next door".

"But I wouldn't say that for anyone. That says that it's not the media, but propaganda tools," he said.

When asked if the Movement, whose formation had been announced, was a replacement for the Serbian Progressive Party, Vucic points out that there is no replacement for that party, which, he adds, is the engine of the country's development.

He states that he will leave politics on his own when he decides that the conditions for that have been met.

"They will not defeat me in the elections because they did not for a single moment think about their programs, but only how to overthrow me. I will leave politics alone when I make that decision, and before that, I will help my friends to win another round of elections. In the next elections, I will participate, and after those elections, there are many young people, and you need to know when it's over. In four years, I will wish someone luck in my place," the President said.