Top US and EU lawmakers say West too soft on Serbia over Kosovo

Senior lawmakers from the United States and Europe are calling for a change in the Western diplomatic approach toward Serbia and Kosovo amid concern that tensions between the two could rapidly spiral out of control.

In the letter, signed by US Sen. Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his counterparts in Germany, the UK, Ukraine and other countries, the lawmakers said US and European Union negotiators were not putting enough pressure on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Serbia and its former province of Kosovo have been at odds for decades. Their 1998-99 war left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly Kosovo Albanians. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 but Belgrade has refused to recognize the move.

"It is hugely underestimated how serious the situation is that the EU and allies have brought themselves into with the...