Rutte: NATO expects Belgrade to determine responsibility on Banjska Attack

The former vice-president of the Serb List and now notorious as the mastermind behind the armed terrorist attack in Banjska, Milan Radoičić claimed responsibility for the attack

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reiterated that the alliance expects accountability from the authorities in Belgrade for events in Kosova, including terrorist attack in Banjska and the attacks on KFOR soldiers, during the tensions in the spring of 2023.

Rutte made these statements while addressing the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), where he also confirmed support for the European Union, mediated dialogue on the normalization of relations between Kosova and Serbia.

“I have a personal relationship with [Serbia’s] President Aleksandar Vučić. We have known each other for many years. But of course, we expect him to determine responsibility for what happened several years ago, and this concerns two issues. For both, he has promised full accountability,” Rutte said.

He also stressed that NATO remains committed to security in the Western Balkans, emphasizing that the Western military alliance will not allow the creation of a security vacuum in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Tensions between Kosova and Serbia have intensified in recent years, with the most serious incident recorded in September 2023 in Banjska, in the Municipality of Zveçan, when a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosova Police, killing sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. In the subsequent exchange of fire, three Serbian attackers were killed.

The former vice-president of the Serb List and now notorious as the mastermind behind the armed terrorist attack in Banjska, Milan Radoičić claimed responsibility for the attack, and since then he has been in Serbia, where he has not been prosecuted to date.

This armed incident was preceded by protests in the north of Kosova held in May of the same year. More than 90 members of NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosova, KFOR, were injured, some seriously, after clashes with Serbian protesters in Zveçan.

Violence in Zveçan erupted after local Serbs opposed the entry of newly elected Albanian mayors into municipal buildings in Zveçan, Leposaviç, and Zubin Potok, following local elections held earlier that year, which were boycotted by local Serbs.

Regarding the events in Zveçan, dozens of people have been arrested and charged, and some have been sentenced to prison following plea agreements with prosecutors. NATO has called for those responsible in both cases to be brought to justice.

During the discussion in AFET, attention was also given to the agreement Rutte reached last week with U.S. President Donald Trump, which, as announced, enabled the American president to withdraw the threat of imposing additional tariffs on some European countries and of taking control of Greenland.

Before European lawmakers, Rutte presented two courses of action regarding the security of Greenland and the Arctic: NATO’s collective efforts to strengthen military and economic defense against Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic, and bilateral talks between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States.

The NATO Secretary General said that the American president is right on the Arctic issue. He noted that this is about collective defense, as maritime routes are opening.

“China and Russia are becoming increasingly active. We must confront this problem,” Rutte said.

He confirmed the American president’s full commitment to NATO and sent a message to European allies that they can “only dream” of defending themselves without the United States.

Last week, Trump said he had reached an understanding with Rutte on the framework of an agreement on Greenland. Prior to that, during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the U.S. leader said he wanted immediate talks to buy Greenland.

He has ruled out the use of force to acquire the island. Trump has argued that Greenland is needed for national security.