Trump Team Wades Again Into Balkan Mediation as EU Leads Efforts
- Serbia and Kosovo leaders to meet at White House on Sept. 2
- Washington talks to focus on economic ties between former foes
Photographer: Armend Nimani/AFP via Getty Images
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Serbia and Kosovo accepted an invitation by President Donald Trump’s envoy to meet at the White House next month even as the European Union leads the efforts to reconcile the wartime foes amid recurring U.S. attempts to mediate as well.
Richard Grenell, Trump’s point-man for the region, scheduled the meeting for Sept. 2, more than two months after a similar US initiative fell through when an EU-backed court unveiled war crimes charges against Kosovo President Hashim Thaci. Top officials of the neighbors later convened in Brussels to jumpstart long-stalled negotiations in talks both sides described as “difficult.” They’re expected to convene again under EU auspices on Sept. 7.