At midday on August 22, a U.S. military plane, believed to have transported the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, to Bosnia and Serbia, was seen at Pristina International Airport “Adem Jashari.”
The U.S. Embassy in Pristina did not respond to questions about whether Burns is visiting Kosovo. Radio Free Europe also did not receive answers on this matter from the Kosovo Presidency or the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Radio Free Europe team photographed the U.S. military plane stationed in front of the “VIP” area at Pristina Airport on Thursday midday.
It is believed that Burns traveled with this plane from Sarajevo to Belgrade. On August 22, this plane flew from Belgrade to Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and finally to Kosovo, according to the flight tracking website, Flightradar.
Radio Free Europe journalists also observed a convoy leaving the “VIP” area of “Adem Jashari” airport heading towards Pristina.
This convoy was escorted by vehicles of the Kosovo Police.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 20, Burns met with his counterparts in the intelligence sector, members of the Presidency of this state, and Bosnia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
As a U.S. Government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Radio Free Europe, the reason for the CIA chief’s visit to Sarajevo was, among other things, due to the concerning separatist rhetoric and actions of the pro-Russian president of the Republika Srpska entity, Milorad Dodik, and the government of this entity.
On August 21, he went to Belgrade, but this visit was neither confirmed nor denied by officials in Serbia and the United States.
Burns’ visit to the region comes at a time when the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has stated that his country has been challenged in several aspects by the Government of Kosovo, led by Albin Kurti.
The U.S. and other international community states have criticized some recent decisions and actions taken by Kurti’s government, which have been considered “unilateral” and “uncoordinated.”
The U.S. Department of State has requested that the Kurti government return to “constructive and close engagement” with Washington, the European Union, and NATO, while Washington is also asking Kosovo institutions not to open the bridge over the Ibër River for traffic, citing security concerns.
For the former Commander of the Kosovo Security Force, Kadri Kastrati, the visit of the CIA chief to the Western Balkans region might be because “Russia is conducting a hybrid war in the Western Balkans.”
“The greatest risk of conflict is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through Republika Srpska, and in northern Kosovo. The visit of high-ranking officials to this region indicates that they have sufficient information about Russian efforts—through its satellite, Serbia—that this part of Europe is at risk of a potential conflict… and it is certain that they have come here to give their recommendations,” said Kastrati on August 21.
Burns is a former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. He is a central figure in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, as he is also a member of the White House Presidential Cabinet.
He was appointed by President Biden to the post of CIA Director in January 2021.
