Donald Trump's campaign says Serbia apology over US bombing was a hoax

Donald Trump has denied apologising to Serbia for NATO-led US bombing of its people in the 1990s, highlighting the decision of then-president Bill Clinton to carry out the controversial aerial attacks.

His alleged comments had been published by Serbian magazine Nedeljnik, which Newsweek then carried but Trump's team said the report was a hoax.

Jason Miller, senior communications advisor to Trump told Newsweek that Trump and the campaign's Indiana state director Suzie Jaworowski had not given an interview to the magazine.

In a statement emailed to the news outlet, he said: "This was a hoax and we look forward to receiving a formal retraction and apology from all involved"

Nedeljnik was not immediately reachable for further comment on Trump campaign's denial.

The statements Trump's team claim were a hoax addressed the bombings that took place in 1995 as part of NATO's operation Deliberate Force against Bosnian Serb military, and in 1999 in response to claims from NATO that Albanian people were suffering persecution from Yugoslav forces in Kosovo.

"The bombing of Serbs, who were our allies in both world wars, was a big mistake," Jaworowski was reported as saying by Nedeljnik.

However, Jaworowski told Politico there had been no interview with the magazine.

The bombings, and turbulent breakup of Yugoslavia, remain a sensitive issue in Serbia, whose citizens greeted US Vice President Joe Biden with protests when he visited the country earlier this year.

He was met with crowds of hundred of people chanting pro-Trump slogans, despite his intent to mend old wounds with the visit — offering his condolences to those who had lost loved ones in the NATO-led airstrikes.

But many Serbians remain unconvinced by the US administration, with some seeing Trump as a president they could get on board with.

Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj told Reuters at the time of Biden's visit to the country back in August: "Trump is the alternative to globalisation because he will destroy old centres of power in the United States, and he is a supporter of Russia because he wants an agreement with Russia."