U.S. State Department: Claims of U.S. Involvement in Protests in Serbia False

State Department (Photo: YTPrintScreen)

The U.S. Department of State has said that any claims of U.S. involvement in protests in Serbia or support for protests against the Serbian government are false, Radio Free Europe reported on Aug. 17.

"We are not surprised that Russia has instrumentalized the protests to advance its agenda in Serbia, as it does around the world," a spokesperson for the State Department said in a response to the RFE. The U.S. response came after representatives of the regime in Serbia accused unnamed Western states of supporting environmental protests against lithium exploitation, which have rallied tens of thousands of citizens in recent weeks.

The Kremlin has also leveled accusations that the West is behind the protests in Serbia, and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin thanked Russian security structures in Moscow for "warning that mass riots and a coup attempt are being prepared." The Department of State said that the U.S.'s stance on Vulin "is well known." Vulin has been under U.S. sanctions since July 2023, among other things for his ties to the Kremlin.

The reason for recent mass protests in Serbia is the announced opening of a lithium mine by the Rio Tinto company in the Jadar river valley in the west of the country due to fears that the project could have a negative impact on the environment. In its response to the RFE, the State Department said peaceful protest and the right of the people to demonstrate and speak freely was an important part of democracy. The State Department also recalled the position of U.S. officials that it was up to the Serbian people and their elected leaders to decide what next with regard to lithium.