Senator Murphy: Vucic Willing to Strike Deal with Kosovo, Mad over Tariff

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy during visit to Belgrade (Beta/Milos Miskov)

Chris Murphy, a senator from Connecticut, who recently visited Pristina and Belgrade with U.S. senator Ron Johnson, believes Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “is willing to strike a deal with Kosovo to recognize their independence, but, right now, he is mad as a hornet over the 100% tariff.”

“We both press him to get back to the negotiating table as soon as possible and he says that as soon as the tariff is lifted, he is ready to talk again,” Murphy said, according to Kossev, in a blog published at Medium Corporation website, after the two senators visited Kosovo, Serbia, Ukraine and Germany.

“Our meeting with Vucic is important, because the Trump Administration gives little attention to the still simmering conflicts in the Balkans. Our visits to places like Belgrade and Pristina are the highest-level American delegations these countries are likely to receive during Trump’s tenure. And especially in a place like Serbia, which also has strong relations with Russia, it’s important for Americans to keep showing up so that we keep our relationship alive,” Murphy added.

Describing his impressions from Pristina Murphy wrote that it is “one of my favorite cities in the world,” that Kosovo is “the youngest country in Europe and the streets are full of energy and vibrancy.”

“Our state [Connecticut] is home to tens of thousands of (mostly Albanian) immigrants from this part of the world, and many successful Albanian-Americans in our state support schools and non-profit organizations in places like Pristina. My constituents want me to be a force for peace in the Balkans, and I’ve listened to them,” Murphy said in his blog.

The blog can be accessed at https://medium.com/@ChrisMurphyCT/an-inside-look-at-my-trip-to-germany-ukraine-serbia-and-kosovo-cf09a368a837