SERBIA: Round 25 NATO peacekeeping troopers defending three city halls in northern Kosovo have been injured in clashes with Serb protesters on Monday.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that 52 Serbs have been injured, three of them critically, accusing Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of making tensions.

Vucic known as on Serbs in Kosovo to keep away from clashes with NATO troopers. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani accused Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic of “destabilizing” Kosovo.

KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping mission to Kosovo, condemned the violence.

“Whereas countering probably the most energetic fringes of the group, a number of troopers of the Italian and Hungarian KFOR contingent have been the topic of unprovoked assaults and sustained trauma wounds with fractures and burns as a result of explosion of incendiary units,” it stated in an announcement.

7 Hungarian troopers have been critically injured and shall be taken to Hungary for therapy, in keeping with Hungary’s Protection Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky, including that 20 troopers have been injured.

Italian troopers have been additionally among the many injured peacekeeping troops.

The tense state of affairs developed after ethnic Albanian mayors took workplace in northern Kosovo’s Serb majority space after April elections the Serbs boycotted – a transfer that led the U.S. and its allies to rebuke Pristina on Friday.

In Zvecan, one of many cities, Kosovo police – staffed by ethnic Albanians after Serbs stop the power final yr – sprayed pepper fuel to repel a crowd of Serbs who broke by way of a safety barricade and tried to power their manner into the municipality constructing, witnesses stated.

Vucic, who’s the commander-in-chief of the Serbian armed forces, raised the military’s fight readiness to the best stage, Protection Minister Milos Vucevic advised reporters.

“This means that instantly earlier than 2:00 p.m. (1200 GMT), the Serbian Armed Forces’ Chief of the Basic Workers issued extra directions for the deployment of the military’s items in particular, designated positions,” Vucevic stated, with out elaborating.

NATO peacekeepers additionally blocked off the city corridor in Zubin Potok to guard it from indignant native Serbs, witnesses stated.

Igor Simic, deputy head of the Serb Record, the most important Belgrade-backed Kosovo Serb celebration, accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of fueling tensions within the north.

“We’re keen on peace. Albanians who stay listed below are keen on peace, and solely he (Kurti) needs to make chaos,” Simic advised reporters in Zvecan.

BEIJING: China on Tuesday confirmed it has declined a request by the US for a gathering between their protection chiefs at an annual safety discussion board in Singapore this weekend.

“The US is evident in regards to the cause why China-US army dialogue faces difficulties. The US ought to earnestly respect China’s sovereignty, safety and curiosity considerations, instantly right improper observe, present sincerity and create obligatory ambiance and situations for dialogue and communication between Chinese language and US militaries,” mentioned Mao Ning, China’s overseas workplace spokesperson throughout a routine briefing to the media.

Austin and Li will likely be in Singapore to attend the annual Shangri-la Dialogue that opens on Friday, an off-the-cuff gathering of protection officers and analysts that additionally performs host to a string of aspect conferences.

Each are anticipated to carry bilateral conferences with counterparts from across the area. Li is a member of the Central Army Fee, China’s prime protection physique that’s commanded by President Xi Jinping.

“In a single day, the PRC knowledgeable the US that they’ve declined our early Might invitation for Secretary Austin to satisfy with PRC Minister of Nationwide Protection Li Shangfu in Singapore,” the Pentagon mentioned in a press release to the Wall Avenue Journal, referring to China by the initials of its official identify, the Folks’s Republic of China.

The Pentagon mentioned it believed in open communication “to make sure that competitors doesn’t veer into battle.”

Final week, White Home spokesman John Kirby mentioned there have been discussions by the Protection Division to get talks going between Lloyd Austin and his Chinese language counterpart, who was named protection minister in March.

The prospect of a gathering between the 2 nations was being carefully watched globally given regional safety tensions and commerce disputes which have derailed plans for re-engagement by the world’s two largest economies.

Final week, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Chinese language Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held helpful discussions on commerce, funding and export insurance policies in a gathering in Washington that marked the primary US-China cabinet-level trade in months.

Although the Chinese language officers have but to clarify Li’s snub however some safety analysts mentioned Beijing’s annoyance at US sanctions towards him was a potential cause.

Li, who safety students say is a veteran of the Folks’s Liberation Military modernisation effort, has been beneath US sanctions since 2018 over the acquisition of fight plane and tools from Russia’s principal arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.

WASHINGTON: In a cellphone name between US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the 2 leaders mentioned numerous points, together with the potential buy of F-16 fighter jets by Turkey from the US.

President Biden expressed his willingness to work out a deal on the F-16s, but in addition emphasised the significance of Turkey dropping its objection to Sweden’s NATO accession.

Through the name, President Biden congratulated Erdogan on his victory within the latest presidential election. Biden later spoke to reporters, stating that he had mentioned the F-16s with Erdogan and knowledgeable him of the US’ curiosity in resolving the matter with Sweden. He talked about that they might proceed the dialog within the following week.

The Turkish presidency’s assertion on the decision was transient, mentioning that the leaders agreed to reinforce cooperation on all elements of their bilateral ties, significantly within the face of regional and international challenges.

Turkey has been searching for to buy $20 billion price of F-16s from the US, however the sale has confronted obstacles within the US Congress. Regardless of the Biden administration expressing assist for the deal, it has not progressed swiftly.

In the meantime, Sweden and Finland, each previously non-aligned nations, have utilized for NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Nonetheless, all NATO member states should approve their bids. Turkey has ratified Finland’s NATO accession however continues to object to Sweden’s resulting from its alleged harboring of people Turkey considers terrorists. Hungary has additionally not but accredited Sweden’s bid.

Washington is prioritizing Sweden’s NATO membership earlier than the upcoming leaders summit in Lithuania in mid-July.

President Biden’s communication with President Erdogan concerned congratulating him on his re-election and expressing a plan to debate Erdogan’s opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership at a later time. Sweden and Finland’s functions to hitch NATO have been prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Erdogan’s objection to Sweden’s bid could also be linked to numerous elements, together with tensions with the Kurdish diaspora in Sweden and the need to safe F-16 fighter jets after Turkey’s elimination from the F-35 program.

The connection between Biden and Erdogan has been strained, with Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, taking a extra favorable stance towards Erdogan and different autocratic leaders. Nonetheless, Biden supplied his belated congratulations to Erdogan, highlighting the advanced dynamics in US-Turkish relations.