The United States has received Kosovo's request to purchase Javelin anti-tank missiles, the US ambassador to Serbia told President Aleksandar Vučić on Thursday, expressing his “deep disappointment.”
The US State Department said later Thursday that it approved the possible sale of 246 missiles and related equipment to Kosovo for an estimated cost of $75 million.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by enhancing the security of a European partner that is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe,” the Department's Office of Political-Military Affairs said. of State of the United States. .
KOSOVO TO DOCUMENT SERB WAR CRIMES WITH AN INSTITUTE DEDICATED TO THE 1998 CONFLICT
A statement from Vučić's office said U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill told him that the U.S. State Department will forward Kosovo's request to Congress, which reviews foreign arms sales.
Kosovo is a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. The United States and most Western nations recognize Kosovo's statehood, while Serbia and its allies Russia and China do not.
Soldiers conduct exercises at Batajnica, a military airport near Belgrade, Serbia, Oct. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
The President of Serbia said that “for us it is of great importance that peace in the region is not broken and that Serbia continues to act responsibly and contribute to stability in the Balkans.”
The proposed sale of the missile system to Kosovo comes at a time of tensions in the region. Several times in recent months, Serbia has moved its troops to the border guarded by NATO-led peacekeepers and Kosovo's armed forces, in what the West considered hostile actions.
Vučić claimed this month that Serbia has one of the strongest armies in the Balkans, highlighting the “large number” of tanks it had received from Russia before its invasion of Ukraine. He promised to continue buying weapons from China and other countries, including anti-aircraft systems, fighter jets and drones.
The Javelin missile system has been used by Ukrainian forces to destroy Russian tanks and other armored vehicles.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Kosovo has bolstered its armed forces with drones and anti-tank missiles, mostly from Turkey, angering Belgrade.
