"President Vucic informed [Russian Ambassador Alexander] Chepurin and [Chinese Ambassador] Li [Manchang] of Pristina's recent irresponsible decision to impose tariffs on Serbian goods and asked them to brief President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin and [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] on it. President Vucic has also told ambassadors Chepurin and Li that Pristina's actions led to complete destabilization of the entire region and might result in further escalation of the conflict," the statement said.
Vucic has also urged Kosovo to drop steep customs duties on imports that he said was a "de facto ban on trade."
"I ask you to revoke your decision. We should sit down and agree a deal and compromise. You need to negotiate with us. Americans or anyone else won’t help you," Vucic said.
The Serbian leader has ruled out responding in kind but warned Kosovo it could face a shortage of goods, including medicine, and a rise in consumer prices. He will meet with Kosovo Serb leaders on Thursday to discuss the move.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kosovo imposed 100-percent import duties on all products originating from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina under the pretext of the two countries' hostile approach toward the self-proclaimed republic.
READ MORE: Kosovo Imposes 100% Import Duties on Serbian Products — Prime Minister
The Kosovo War of 1998-1999 between the ethnically Kosovar Albanian forces and the former Yugoslavia, then consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, ended after the UN-backed international intervention following NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia’s forces.
In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia. Even though over 100 UN member states have officially recognized Kosovo, Serbia, alongside Russia, China, Israel and several other countries, have not recognized the move.
READ MORE: Russia Will Endorse Solution to Kosovo Issue if Serbia Accepts It — Lavrov
