Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have escalated following the recent takeover of buildings housing Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo, along with the arrest of several Serbs in the past 24 hours.

These events have prompted renewed diplomatic efforts to bring both sides back to the negotiating table to discuss the normalisation of relations.

Kosovo authorities justify their actions as an effort to establish constitutional order across the entire territory of Kosovo, while Belgrade accuses Prime Minister Albin Kurti of repression aimed at expelling Serbs from Kosovo.

In late August, the European Union and the United States raised concerns over Kosovo police’s uncoordinated closure of parallel local government offices in the north, which had been supported by official Belgrade. Both urged Pristina to avoid unilateral actions.

EU Special Representative for Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Tuesday, but no official statements were made after the meeting. Lajcak briefly posted on platform X that Vucic “raised strong concerns about the situation of Kosovo Serbs.”

Vucic met separately with U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill and later addressed the media, announcing that in the next 72 hours, he will address the public in Serbia and present what Serbia demands in response to what he described as a brutal attack on the Serbian population, primarily in northern Kosovo, and what the international community has failed to fulfil.

He further accused Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti of making “illegal, criminal, and unlawful decisions” and criticised Europe and the Quint, an informal decision-making group consisting of the United States and the Big Four of Western Europe (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom), saying, “All we hear are words of condemnation, but no real action is being taken.” Vucic vowed that “Serbia will not allow the persecution and pogrom of the Serbian population.”

Serbian state broadcaster RTS reported that U.S. Congresswoman Claudia Tenney sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, demanding to know what measures the U.S. will take to safeguard the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and demanding accountability for Kurti.

Under heavy police security and amid discontent from local residents, Kurti visited the northern part of Mitrovica, predominantly populated by etnic Serbs. Speaking to reporters, Kurti stressed that “people want justice, peace, and security,” adding that his government is a “democratic government that provides these guarantees for everyone, without discrimination.”