In order to improve relations with Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been asked by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron to make "tough decisions."

In a joint letter posted on Vucic's website on Sunday, the two leaders emphasized the need for the Serbian leader to demonstrate "maximum determination and readiness to make tough decisions in order to move the dialogue forward between Kosovo and Serbia." 

Serbia has been under pressure from the EU to support sanctions against Russia and declare the independence of its breakaway region. For fear of encouraging separatism at home, a number of EU countries refuse to acknowledge Kosovo.

According to Scholz and Macron in order to ensure the future of the area across the EU, they claimed that the Balkan nation must resolve its protracted territorial issue with Kosovo and added that time proved vital for the security of Europe and the stability of the Western Balkans.

The European leaders said that they had given their foreign and security policy advisers the mandate to "explore the opportunities of moving the process forward quickly" by coordinating with the EU representative for the Belgrade-Pristina conversation.

Read more: German Chancellor: Germany will probably have to endure winter