Kosovo PM says Britain should send more troops to protect country as he claims Serbian military bases are positioned to attack

Kosovo’s prime minister has called on the UK to send over more troops to protect his nation, as he claims that Serbia is in a perfect position to attack the nation. 

Albin Kurti told The Telegraph in an interview in his office in Pristina, the nation’s capital, that the ‘symbolic’ NATO presence in Kosovo wasn’t enough to deter Belgrade from invading. 

Just this week, Serbia’s leader Aleksander Vucic hinted that he wanted to recapture Kosovo, claiming that his government would ‘wait for the best possible momentum and we will seize our opportunity.’ 

The leader said that the UK, as a NATO member, had a responsibility to help Kosovo. 

He said: ‘The UK is part of NATO and they act and operate in that fashion. I believe there should be more NATO troops in Kosovo.’

NATO has roughly 4,000 troops in Kosovo, who have been there since the 1990s following the outbreak of the Kosovo War. 

The UK’s military played a crucial role in the NATO coalition that helped Kosovo win its independence. 

And the UK actively takes part in peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo, with 400 troops serving in a permanent contingent in the country a further 45 British troops being involved in the NATO-led peacekeeping efforts that are slowly starting to wind down. 

In October, a further 200 British soldiers, as well as hundreds of vehicles, joined the 400-strong contingent for an annual training exercise. They have since left the region. 

Kurti said that Kosovo’s security and stability was directly linked to the safety of the West, given Serbia’s close ties with Russia. 

‘Due to the threat that Serbia is posing to us and due to their multitude of links with the Kremlin, to have more capacity and capability for our army and our police and more NATO troops would increase the security of our country and the region,’ Kurti said. 

‘I believe for as long as Serbia does not recognise Kosovo, as long as Serbia keeps 48 forward operating bases around our country, and as long as Serbia is a close ally of the Kremlin, there should be more capacities on our side and more NATO troops.’

Although Serbia has formally put itself forward as a candidate for membership of the European Union, it has still maintained a relationship with Russia, which has made states across the West uncomfortable. 

Russia has consistently backed Serbia’s opposition to Kosovan independence. 

A 2023 European Commission report found that Serbia ‘has not aligned with any restrictive measure against Russia, nor with the majority of High Representative Statements related to Russia and Ukraine.’

The report also found that Serbia failed to back the EU up on punitive measures against China, Belarus and Iran as well.