The US State Department (Dash) said that any assertion that the United States supports the anti-government protests in Serbia "is false".

"It does not surprise us that Russia, on the contrary, has instrumentalized the protests to pursue its agenda in Serbia, as it does around the world," DASH told Radio Free Europe on August 17.

DASH responded to REL's request to comment on accusations made by authorities in Serbia and Russia that they have blamed Western countries - without mentioning any by name - for inciting protests recently organized by environmental activists, who are demand a ban on lithium mining.

Thousands of people took part in organized protests against the Government's plans to extract lithium deposits in one of Europe's largest mines for this material, which is crucial for the production of batteries for electric cars.

Moscow has accused the West of being behind the protests, while Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vulin, has thanked Russian security agencies for "warning the Serbian leadership about preparations for mass riots and an attempted coup".

DASH said that the US position on Vulini is "known".

In 2023, Vulin was placed on the US sanctions list due to his close ties to the Kremlin.

In the response sent to REL, the US Department of State said that "peaceful protests and citizens' right to protest and free expression are an important part of democracy".

During the protests, it was demanded to stop the project for the extraction of lithium from Rio Tinto, in Jadar, in the west of Serbia, as the protesters expressed their fear that this could cause the pollution of the land and water found near the mine.

In 2022, the Serbian Government rejected this project after massive protests and concerns about the impact it could have on the environment.

But the Government reinstated this plan in July, after 16 years, a few days after the Serbian Constitutional Court said the Government had acted unconstitutionally when it revoked the permits for the Rio Tinto mine./REL/