Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in St Petersburg about the situation in Kosovo, prior to the June 10 session of the UN Security Council.

Dacic told reporters in St. Petersburg, where he is taking part in the International Economic Forum, that he introduced in detail the plan of Serbia on the issue of Kosovo to Lavrov, and that the head of Russian diplomacy told him that Moscow absolutely supported Serbia and that the support would be clearly expressed and at a session of the UN Security Council on Monday.

Ivica Dacic, Serbia’s Foreign Minister, told Russian Sputnik news agency he did not destroy the 100 dollars banknote by writing “Kosovo is Serbia” on it, nor did he insult Benjamin Franklin, an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the US, but followed Franklin’s essential idea, who also had a wise message that "he who has patience can have what he wants", the Belgrade based FoNet news agency reported.

The US embassy condemned Dacic’s “Internet challenge” with the message written in Cyrillic over the dollar banknote.

Emmanuel Macron, French President, will come to Belgrade in mid-July to confirm good political relations and strengthen the economic links between the two countries, French ambassador to Serbia Frederic Mondoloni said on Thursday, the FoNet news agency reported.

Macron was due in Serbia last November but had to postpone the visit due to the wave of protests in France.

“Our relations are very dynamic and develop in all areas, especially in economy,” the ambassador said.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the Speaker of the Russian Duma, lower house of the Federal Assembly, said in Belgrade on Monday that the “intrusion” of Kosovo’s special forces into the north aimed at frightening the Serbs, establishing control there by force, adding the Serbs could count on Russian help in future, N1 reported.

Volodin said that the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (on Kosovo after the 1989-1999 war there) should be respected.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia would react in serious, responsible and decisive manner if a referendum on unification of Kosovo and Albania would happen, Tanjug news agency reported.

He made these remarks while asked to comment on the statement of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci who said earlier if the EU continues with the isolation of Kosovo, he would think of institutional measures and unification with Albania. Vucic added he has warned the EU about that.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today Prime Minister Ana Brnabic in her remark “people from the forest” was not referring to the entire Albanian people, but to the Kosovo leadership respectively Hashim Thaci, Ramush Haradinaj and Kadri Veseli, Danas daily reported.

“She did not speak about the entire population, but about the three of them. No, they are handsome guys, academics, painters and literates,” Vucic told journalists in Loznica, commenting on Kosovo Albanian leaders.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said Pristina authorities are using the statement of Prime Minister Ana Brnabic – that Albanian political representatives in Pristina as former members of KLA “are people from the forest,” to justify brutal violence and arrests of Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija by ROSU unit, RTS reported.

Slovakia Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, who is paying an official visit to Serbia said he expected stronger EU and its member-states reaction to the Kosovo special police unit intrusion to the north of Kosovo, B92 reports.

He also noted, Slovakia as an EU member is very concerned because Pristina does not fulfill its obligations deriving from the Brussels agreement, but also because of the lack of a strong reaction to the provocations by Albanian side and the latest ROSU action in the north.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said today the statement of Kosovo Foreign Affairs Minister Behgjet Pacolli that she would be banned to enter Kosovo goes in line with Pristina’s policy, Danas daily reports.

“People who are ready to ban flow of goods, are also ready to ban freedom of movement,” Brnabic said after the meeting with Slovakia Prime Minster Peter Pellegrini.

She said this goes contrary to the interests of Albanians and also civilization values.

US Ambassador in Belgrade Kyle Scott told TV N1 on Thursday that Belgrade and Pristina must get back to the table because their dialogue has been regressing in the past six months. He noted the situation is not good but added that diplomats have to be optimists and look for solutions.

We must be realistic, the situation is not good, there is no dialogue and there is mistrust on both sides, Scott said.