Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic said on July 25 that Serbia had to be prepared for every eventuality regarding Kosovo, including possible conditions from the European Union, but voiced the conviction that the 27-nation bloc would not require Serbia to recognize its breakaway province's independence before it can join its ranks.

"We still in the end need to be straight with ourselves and ready for such a situation, but also to state clearly our political position on all this," Dacic told reporters in Sremska Kamenica.

He recalled that Serbian President Boris Tadic had reported that he had received assurances from the U.S. and EU that Serbia would not be expected to recognize Kosovo, and that as long as the dialog between Belgrade and Pristina was ongoing there would be no changes on the field in Kosovo.