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Zelensky's Balkan blunder

2026-08-12 19:56:53Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Zelensky not Belgrade

The Ukrainian president learned the hard way that there is no such thing as a casual comment about Kosovo.

Una Hajdari - Politico.eu / Volodymyr Zelenskyy's weekend visit to Serbia caused echoes in the Balkans long after the Ukrainian president flew back to Kiev.

Zelenskyy first visited Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? on Saturday, who has refused to join the European Union's sanctions regime against Russia and maintains close relations with the Kremlin. He then delved into the most sensitive regional issue, declaring that Ukraine would continue to refuse to recognize the independence of Kosovo, a former Serbian province.

Kosovo’s response was immediate. A giant blue and yellow banner reading “Free Ukraine,” which had been up on Pristina’s main boulevard since 2022, was immediately removed. Pristina’s mayor, Përparim Rama, declared that while his sympathy remained with “peoples facing war, violence and persecution… respect must be mutual.”

Since Zelenskyy’s visit, Vu?i? has threatened to physically divert the flow of the Ibar River, which flows from Serbia into Kosovo, in retaliation for Kosovo authorities’ demolition of several Serb-owned homes along the shores of Lake Ujman. Such a move would empty the reservoir that supplies water to much of Kosovo and provides vital cooling capacity for the country’s largest thermal power plant.

Meanwhile, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama exchanged remarks on the social network X, where Rama accused Serbia of living in a "political bubble" and continuing to deny the fact that "Serbia lost Kosovo" a long time ago.

Kosovo was a southern province of Serbia with an Albanian majority for most of the 20th century. Its population enjoyed broad political rights during socialist Yugoslavia, until a decade-long crackdown by Serbian authorities on political opponents led to the armed conflict of 1998–1999. A three-month NATO bombing campaign forced Serbian forces to withdraw and transformed the province into a United Nations protectorate.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 100 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and 22 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also a potential candidate country for the EU, having submitted its application for membership in December 2022.

Kosovo's status has long been one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's favorite arguments, using it to justify his invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Kosovo's Foreign Minister, Glauk Konjufca, said he had "regretfully" welcomed Zelensky's stance and that such rhetoric resembled "Russia's attempts to use Kosovo as a precedent."

As for why the Ukrainian president decided to get involved in this complicated Balkan issue, it most likely has to do with armaments.

Serbia continues to produce significant quantities of Soviet-standard caliber ammunition, which Ukraine cannot obtain from its Western allies, as they use NATO standards. Ukraine still uses heavy howitzers and Soviet-era tanks, which remain essential for the fighting in the Donbas and other frontline areas. And despite his pro-Russian stance, Vu?i? is willing to quietly supply them to Kiev.

“Ukraine is in a situation where it cannot worry about issues that go beyond its most immediate needs and, for Zelensky, Vu?i? matters more,” explained Florian Bieber, director of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz.

Vu?i?'s rapprochement with Zelensky may be partly an attempt to assuage criticism coming from Brussels. EU leaders have condemned the "outbreak of violence" during ongoing anti-government protests and the "decline in democratic standards" in Serbia.

"He hopes that in the coming months he will face less criticism, due to closer relations, at least symbolically, with Zelensky. Vu?i? is doing this to gain an advantage over the EU, on the eve of possible elections in the country," Bieber continued.

Kosovo's supporters have long presented its independence as a unique case, rather than a model that can be applied elsewhere. However, the way Kosovo broke away from Serbia remains a divisive issue, especially for European Union countries like Spain and Cyprus, which have their own problems with separatist movements and still refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence.

“Depending on which side of this debate you stand, you will also have a different perspective on what Kosovo's independence means for other conflicts and territorial disputes around the world,” Bieber said.


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