Russia has condemned the United States, and the European Union for growing Balkan tensions on Saturday, saying it was watching with alarm following deadly clashes between Kosovan police and protestors opposed to ethnic Albanian mayors.
The use of force to impose mayors in districts with a majority of ethnic Serbs was condemned by the United States and its allies on Friday, undermining efforts to mend strained ties with Serbia.
NATO on Saturday urged Kosovo to dial down tensions.
The clashes led Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday to place the army on full combat alert and ordered units to move closer to the border.
A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement that “we vehemently condemn Pristina’s provocative steps, which have brought the situation dangerously close to the hot phase and directly threaten the security of the entire Balkans region.”
“The responsibility for this lies fully with the United States and the European Union,” she said, adding that rebukes of Kosovo by “Western mediators” had come too late.
Serbia and its traditional ally Russia do not recognise Kosovo’s independence, and Moscow has blocked the country’s bid to become a member of the United Nations but Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory.
