US approves possible Javelin sale to Kosovo amid tensions with Serbia

MILAN — The U.S. government approved a potential sale of hundreds of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Kosovo for an estimated cost of $75 million, a move that is likely to leave a bitter taste for Serbia.

The Republic of Kosovo has requested to buy 246 Javelin missiles and 24 lightweight command launch units, among other items, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement released on Jan 11.

If the sale of the Lockheed Martin- and Raytheon-made weapons goes ahead, it would make Kosovo the third Javelin customer in the region. In 2022, Albania’s defense minister said the country had purchased Javelins, and last month Romania received approval to purchase 263 missiles for $80 million.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, a Russia ally who was recently re-elected for another term amid election fraud complaints by the opposition, was quoted by ABC News as having expressed “deep disappointment” regarding the news of Kosovo’s procurement request.

It was previously reported that Belgrade was interested in buying SPIKE LR2 anti-tank guided missiles from Israeli defense manufacturer Rafael.

The Javelin announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. In an outbreak of violence in a Kosovan village last fall, a number of ethnic Serbs killed a Kosovar police officer during a firefight, which ultimately resulted in police killing three of the ethnic Serbs while retaking the site.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti later claimed that the ethnic Serb paramilitary force trained in Serbia ahead of the September raid on what appeared to be a U.S.-made military Humvee vehicle produced by AM General.

The accusation, which was immediately denied by Belgrade, would entail a violation by the Serbian authorities of a contract struck with Washington on the end-use of American military equipment.

At the time, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Defense News that the government was “looking into this matter.”

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——美国政府批准向科索沃出售数百枚标枪反坦克导弹，预计价值 7500 万美元，此举可能会让塞尔维亚感到不满。

美国国防安全合作局在1月11日发布的一份声明中表示，科索沃共和国已提出购买246枚标枪导弹和24套轻型指挥发射装置，以及其他物品。

如果洛克希德·马丁公司和雷神公司联合生产的这批武器的销售最终达成，科索沃将成为该地区第三个“标枪”导弹的客户。2022年，阿尔巴尼亚国防部长表示该国已购买了“标枪”导弹；上个月，罗马尼亚也获准以8000万美元的价格购买263枚导弹。

塞尔维亚总统亚历山大·武契奇是俄罗斯的盟友，他最近在反对派指控选举舞弊的情况下再次当选连任。据美国广播公司新闻报道，武契奇对科索沃的采购请求表示“深感失望”。

此前有报道称，贝尔格莱德有意从以色列国防制造商拉斐尔公司购买 SPIKE LR2 反坦克导弹。

在科索沃和塞尔维亚关系高度紧张之际，标枪导弹系统正式发布。去年秋天，科索沃一个村庄爆发暴力冲突，一些塞族人在交火中杀害了一名科索沃警察，最终警方在夺回现场时击毙了三名塞族人。

科索沃总理阿尔宾·库尔蒂后来声称，塞尔维亚族准军事部队在9月份袭击一辆疑似美国制造的、由AM General公司生产的军用悍马车之前，曾在塞尔维亚接受过训练。

贝尔格莱德方面立即否认了这一指控。该指控意味着塞尔维亚当局违反了与华盛顿就美国军事装备最终用途签订的合同。

当时，美国国务院发言人告诉《防务新闻》，政府正在“调查此事”。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。