Serbia, Kosovo presidents clash at European summit in Moldova

The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo have insisted they want to defuse a violent crisis in northern Kosovo but showed little sign of backing down from their opposing positions.

Arriving on Thursday at a summit in Moldova of more than 40 European leaders, Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo's Vjosa Osmani did not acknowledge each other even as they stood just metres apart on the red carpet.

"We all understand that the real threat in fact is coming from Serbia's denial of Kosovo's existence of a sovereign state," Osmani said, referring to Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.

She accused Vucic of backing criminal gangs in northern Kosovo, which she said were ultimately responsible for clashes that wounded 30 NATO peacekeeping troops and 52 local Serb protesters. Serbia has rejected that accusation.

As he arrived at the summit at a castle in the Moldovan countryside, Vucic was less forceful than Osmani in his rhetoric. But he said Kosovo authorities should withdraw "alleged mayors" from the north and declared the Kosovo special police units were there illegally.

Tensions have gripped Kosovo with protestors and security forces clashing in the northern Serb-dominated municipalities over the election of ethnic Albanian mayors.

'Perpetrators have to be accountable'

Osmani and Vucic were due to meet separately with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the summit of the European Political Community, a body of more than 40 countries established last year.

There was no indication Vucic and Osmani would meet each other.

Osmani said she would be talking to "European leaders who are in favour of peace, in favour of stability and in favour of rule of law," citing Macron and Scholz, but not Vucic.

The violence in northern Kosovo has to be condemned and the perpetrators of it have to be accountable, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said during his doorstep before the 2nd European Political Community Summit on Thursday.

"We have to insist that the violence is not the way," he said, recalling that he met Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Wednesday and he expects to meet with Vucic.

"Everybody has to try to avoid any kind of escalation and uncoordinated moves," added Borrell.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called on both Kosovo and Serbia to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions during a press conference after the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Norway's capital, Oslo.

The escalation in clashes will move both Kosovo and Serbia in the "wrong direction," he said, and urged both sides to act responsibly.