Minister Rasim Ljajic said today that "a frozen conflict" is not a solution to the Kosovo issue, but rather a postponement of one.

Proponents of 'a frozen conflict' say that international circumstances may change, so Serbia will then address the issue of Kosovo under more favorable conditions. What if international circumstances change to our detriment, and we are in a more difficult position? This is not a solution, it is a way to postpone resolving the Kosovo issue," Ljajic told RTS.

PASULJANSKE LIVADE, Serbia (Reuters) - Under the keen eye of President Aleksandar Vucic and foreign diplomats, Serbia’s military flexed its muscles on Thursday, firing live ordnance in a mock attack on insurgent positions at a training ground east of Belgrade.

The training drill, dubbed Synergy 2018, came three days after Kosovo police used force to scatter Serb protesters in the town of Kosovska Mitrovica in Kosovo’s restive North and briefly detained a Serbian government official.

Serbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic rejected allegations that the establishment of the ZSO is a compensation for Kosovo membership in the UN, Tanjug news agency reported.

She reminded ZSO is part of the Brussels agreement and it has to be implemented.

“Agreements must be honoured. There are no further negotiations about ZSO. We will give nothing more, as it is included in the Brussels agreement,” PM Brnabic told Serbian Parliament.

All diplomatic representatives of Russia have been instructed to express their concern over the recent events in Kosovo.

Daily Vecernje Novosti is reporting this, adding that Russian diplomats have been instructed to point out to the failures of KFOR and EULEX - the NATO and EU missions in Kosovo - as well as to the violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 - all with the aim of "reinforcing Belgrade's position."

EU Delegation to Serbia head Sem Fabrizi says the perspective of candidate countries will also depend on definitive solutions to disputes with neighbors.

In addition, Fabrizi said, presenting the new EU strategy for the Western Balkans to the members of the Foreign Investors Council, membership will depend on the strong political will, and implementation of real and sustainable reforms.

Ukraine's ambassador to Serbia says the government in Pristina showed itself to be "completely irresponsible" in the case of Marko Djuric's arrest.

"Ukraine supports Serbia completely in this case," Oleksandr Aleksandrovych told N1, and pointed out that his country has not recognized Kosovo, and supports the Brussels agreement and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke on Wednesday for Prva TV about his phone call earlier in the afternoon with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vucic stressed that the conversation was "long and rich in content."

"If I may say - and I've met with him many times - today in his words I felt probably the highest degree of support, as well as in (his) reactions, because I know him well," the president said, adding that he asked Putin "what his advice was."

Serbia's president asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for advice Wednesday on how to counter Kosovo's "violence and aggression" against Serbs — a development that could complicate Western attempts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Balkans.

Aleksandar Vucic's office said in a statement that he informed Putin about the "brutal attack" by Kosovo police on Monday against a senior Serb official who was arrested and expelled after entering the country without an official permit.

According to a new survey, a huge majority of Serbia's citizens would pick Kosovo if they had to choose between Kosovo and the EU.

The choice in question refers to "accepting Kosovo's independence as a condition for EU membership" - and as many 81 percent of respondents in the poll, conducted by the Institute for European Affairs NGO and Ninamedia, said they would not.

11 percent would "accept the offer," according to the results.

Serbian Defense Minister, Aleksandar Vulin told the BETA news agency, he supports the decision of Srpska Lista to leave Kosovo Government, adding they should have done it much earlier.

“I support the decision of Srpska Lista and they should have done it earlier on the occasion of other anti-Serbian moves taken by Ramush Haradinaj,” Vulin said.

“It was needed to bring them down earlier, but this is an excellent day to bring that government down. Let them go before inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija and elaborate on what are they doing.”