Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti failed to meet for EU-mediated talks on June 26, after Kurti refused to attend due to a disagreement over unmet preconditions.

The failed meeting marks another setback in the EU-facilitated Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, one year after the signing of the Ohrid Agreement, which aimed to revitalise the normalisation process between the two Balkan neighbours.

EU High Representative Josep Borrell stated that Kurti refused to participate because Serbia did not agree to three key conditions: formalising basic agreements, retracting a letter by Serbia’s former prime minister Ana Brnabic expressing reservations about normalisation, and handing over Milan Radoicic and his paramilitary group to Kosovo's authorities.

Vucic dismissed Kurti’s demands as an attempt to force Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo, a stance Belgrade staunchly opposes. "Now they [the Kosovan side] came up with some more demands, but essentially it is recognition, it all boils down to that, it goes around in circles – [they want] de jure recognition," Vucic said.

The failed talks demonstrate the distance between the two sides. Vucic accuses Kurti of inventing new preconditions to avoid dialogue, noting that Pristina has not upheld promises made over a decade ago, particularly regarding the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities.

"The Serbian side dealt with many issues, from the judiciary, the prosecution, the regional police, license plates, personal documents, and everything else. They did nothing, apart from torturing and terrorising the Serbs from time to time and expelling them from their doorsteps," Vucic asserted.

Kurti's decision to abandon talks is likely to worsen tensions and deepen distrust between the two sides. It is unlikely to go down well in Brussels, which faces another blow to its normalisation efforts.