Russian ambassador warns that situation in Kosovo resembles Ukraine

BELGRADE – The current standoff in Kosovo bears an uncanny resemblance to the crisis in Donbass.

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko revealed this on the Rossiya 24 TV channel on Monday (12/12/2022).

“The whole situation, everything, including Pristina’s attitude towards the Kosovo Serbs, albeit on a smaller scale, is similar to what happened and is still happening in Ukraine,” the diplomat said.

He explained: “The West has also treated the ethnic Albanian government in Kosovo the same way it has in Kiev.”

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Contrasting the Donbass crisis with tensions in Kosovo, the ambassador added, “Pristina’s desire…to take control of all Kosovo, including Serb-inhabited areas, is at all costs the point crucial part of this impasse”.

“Any further escalation will lead to more drastic consequences,” Botsan-Kharchenko said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is still trying to get out of this maelstrom of tensions “by peaceful means” and avoid turning it into a major conflict, according to the Russian ambassador.

“Pristina openly … bets on hard power, on violence,” said Botsan-Kharchenko, who made a peaceful resolution “very difficult” to achieve.

NATO took over Kosovo from Serbia in 1999, following Serbian bombing. “The United States (US) and its allies continue to allow ethnic Albanians into the province,” the Russian ambassador said recently, comparing it to their behavior towards Kiev.