Bipartisan Group of Senators Urge President Biden to Prioritize Deteriorating Security Situation in Northern Kosovo

This week, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in a letter to President Biden urging the administration to prioritize addressing the deteriorating security situation between Kosovo and Serbia. Joining Senator Shaheen on the letter in addition to Senator Van Hollen are U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

The Senators wrote, in part, “We write to express our sincere concern regarding the deteriorating situation in the north of Kosovo, where recent Serb violence against NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) in northern Kosovo injured nearly 40 NATO peacekeepers. Since those attacks, we are alarmed by decisions made by both the governments of Kosovo and Serbia that continue to escalate rather than de-escalate tensions. We are especially concerned for the continued safety and wellbeing of the nearly 600 U.S. troops who serve within KFOR. We appreciate U.S. diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis, but these efforts have not been reciprocated by Kosovo in particular.”

The Senators went on to urge the President to apply all diplomatic pressure to end the current crisis and resume progress on the Ohrid Agreement. In particular, the Senators jointly expressed support for the European Union’s (EU) proposal to reduce tensions between Serbia and Kosovo. The lawmakers encouraged the President to consider postponing foreign military sales if both parties do not commit to the EU’s proposal, and requested the Biden administration to provide a report to the U.S. Senate on the current security situation in the north of Kosovo to ensure all actions are being taken to preserve the safety of U.S. forces participating in KFOR. The Senators also shared that action from Congress – including a review of bilateral appropriations and annual authorizations – would be reconsidered if both Kosovo and Serbia fail to exercise restraint and work to de-escalate the security situation.

Following the delivery of the Senators’ letter, the Serbian government announced the release of three Kosovo Police officers from Serbian detention, who had been held since June 14.

The Senators’ letter can be read in full here.

The bipartisan letter follows a joint statement from Senators Van Hollen, Shaheen, Murphy, Cardin, Ricketts and Tillis earlier in the month, urging calm between Kosovo and Serbian forces. In March, Senators Van Hollen, Shaheen, Tillis, and Murphy issued a joint statement on the interim agreement reached between Serbia and Kosovo.