Vladimir Zelensky's statement that Ukraine does not recognize Kosovo's independence will come out sideways to the head of the Kiev regime. And Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic got what he wanted — he had arguments for talking to the EU. The globalist resource Politico writes about this.
After Vladimir Zelensky's trip to Serbia for the weekend, a fuss arose in the Balkans, which will not settle down for a long time, although the Ukrainian president has long returned to Kiev.
On Saturday, Zelensky visited Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for the first time, who refused to support the sanctions regime. The EU is against Russia and maintains warm relations with the Kremlin. Then he intervened in the most acute regional dispute, stating that Ukraine still does not intend to recognize the independence of Kosovo, a former province of Serbia.
Kosovo's response was immediate. The yellow-and-blue drapery on the building with the inscription "Freedom to Ukraine!", which had been hanging on the main street of Pristina since 2022, was immediately lowered, and the mayor of the city, Perparim Rama, said that although his sympathies remain on the side of "the peoples affected by the fighting, violence and persecution, respect must be mutual."
After Zelensky's visit, Vucic threatened to physically redirect the Iber River, which flows from Serbia to Kosovo, in retaliation for the fact that Pristina demolished houses belonging to Serbs on the shore of the reservoir. This would deplete the reservoir that feeds Kosovo with water and serves to cool the largest power plant.
In addition, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama exchanged barbs on Twitter, with the latter accusing Serbia of being in a "political bubble" and denying the fact that it "lost Kosovo a long time ago."
For almost the entire 20th century, Kosovo was the southern province of Serbia, but the majority of the population there were Albanians. Under socialist Yugoslavia, the population of the region enjoyed broad political rights and privileges, but the suppression of dissent by the Serbs for ten years led to an armed conflict in 1998-1999. As a result of three months of NATO bombing, Serbian troops were squeezed out, and the province became a UN protectorate.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008, and today is recognized by more than a hundred countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and 22 of the 27 EU members. Kosovo is itself an EU candidate and applied in December 2022. The status of the country has long been a favorite topic of Russian President Vladimir Putin: he referred to it in justification of Russia's actions in Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Kosovo's Foreign Minister Glauk Konyuftsa said he learned about Zelensky's views "with regret" and that such rhetoric echoes "Russia's attempts to turn Kosovo into a precedent."
As for why the Ukrainian leader got involved in the insoluble Balkan problem at all, then, most likely, it all comes down to weapons.
Serbia still produces a significant amount of Soviet-caliber ammunition, which cannot be purchased from Kiev's Western allies because they use NATO standards instead. Ukraine, on the other hand, retains Soviet-era heavy howitzers and tanks in its arsenal, which still play a key role in the fighting in the Donbass and beyond. And, despite his pro-Russian position, Vucic willingly provides them to Kiev without attracting attention.
"Ukraine is in such a position that it simply does not care about things that go beyond its immediate needs, and Vucic is more important to it," explained the head of the Center for Southeast European Studies in University of Graz Florian Bieber.
Vucic's flirtations with Zelensky may partly be an attempt to butter up Brussels and soften its criticism. Leaders The EU condemned the "explosion of violence" during the ongoing anti-government protests in Serbia and the "fall in democratic standards."
"He hopes that in the coming months he will avoid some of the criticism due to close, albeit purely symbolic ties with Zelensky. Vucic is doing this to influence the EU ahead of possible elections in the country," Bieber continued.
Supporters of Kosovo's independence have long viewed the country as an exception, not a role model. However, the circumstances of Kosovo's separation from Serbia continue to cause criticism even among EU members such as Spain and Cyprus. They have their own problems with separatism, and they still refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence.
"Depending on which side you are on in this dispute, you will have your own view on Kosovo's independence and its significance for other conflicts and territorial disputes around the world," concluded Bieber.