The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stated that Europe is urging Serbia to recognize the independence of Kosovo, either de facto or de jure.

“This is being requested. Let’s not lie about this. The most powerful force, the European Union, is asking for this,” said Vučić on Pink television on January 7.

Speaking about whether Serbian citizens can agree for the country to join the EU, Vučić stated that he supports it, but half of the citizens are in favor, and the other half is against EU accession.

He also mentioned that Serbian citizens do not agree on the issue of Kosovo.

“We can delude ourselves that we have consensus on this issue. Of course, we don’t. Certainly, some think that Kosovo should surrender as soon as possible because Serbia would be healthier, but they don’t say this and shouldn’t say it publicly. Others will say that ‘Kosovo and Metohija’ should be protected at all costs, but without me and my children,” he said.

Since Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008, it has been recognized by over 100 states.

The independence of Kosovo is acknowledged by all Western Balkan states except Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the Serbian Constitution, Kosovo continues to be considered part of Serbia.

Since 2011, the EU has facilitated the dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, supported by the United States.

Last year, the parties reached an agreement on the path to normalize relations and an annex for its implementation. Despite international pressure for the parties to implement the agreement, the European bloc has stated that it is not being enforced.

The agreement, consisting of 11 articles, includes, among other things, a level of self-governance for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols, while also requiring Pristina and Belgrade to implement all previous agreements from the dialogue.

The United States has consistently stated that the dialogue for the normalization of relations should conclude with mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia.