Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he expects a “new offensive” from Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, claiming that this “offensive” will coincide with Ukraine’s offensive against Russia.

In an interview with TV Prva, Vučić reiterated the claims that Western allies are not concerned about the rights of Serbs in Kosovo.

He stated that their rights are being violated, that they are “exposed to terror”, and that the Serbian community members who have been arrested in recent weeks in Kosovo are innocent.

The statement comes at a time of heightened tensions in northern Kosovo, where the majority population is Serbian. Since 29 May, Serbs there have been protesting against Albanian mayors of municipalities and demanding the withdrawal of the special unit of the Kosovo Police.

The authorities in Kosovo have arrested several members of the Serbian community suspected of involvement in violence against NATO’s mission members in Kosovo, KFOR, the Kosovo Police, and journalists reporting from the north.

The arrested individuals are all in pretrial detention, except for one, who is under house arrest.

Serbia and members of the Serbian community in Kosovo consider these arrests arbitrary.

The international community has called on Kosovo and Serbia to urgently reduce tensions and for Pristina to organize new elections. Recently, the EU has also announced temporary punitive measures imposed on Kosovo.

Meanwhile, Vučić has reiterated that Serbia will not impose sanctions on Russia for the war in Ukraine and has stated that they have not sent “a single weapon” to either Russia or Ukraine.