Grenell: America's leadership in Belgrade-Pristina negotiations is necessary; Kurti is not helpful

We see that the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina are falling apart because the State Department is negotiating with the Europeans, and when you let them lead - you get a lot of talk and little action, former US Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in the Trump administration Richard Grenell said in an interview for Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

He pointed out that it was necessary that "American leaders lead" and that they had the trust of both sides. He said that Albin Kurti has been rejecting all ideas and that he was not helpful.

Mr. Grenell, thank you for coming to RTS.

Thank you for having me.

You were involved in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina as a Special Envoy of the USA. What is your take on Belgrade-Pristina talks these days?

We could probably dedicate a whole show to it, it's pretty unbelievable. Look, I think we know that Kurti is just not being helpful in this situation. I’ve negotiated with him and he is somebody who has never really liked any idea. He has rejected every single idea that the Americans have put forward. Now he is rejecting the ideas offered by the Europeans. Even the Biden administration has to criticize him. I also think that he is not serving the people. He is not helping the situation. We certainly miss Thaci these days.

What makes him so strong, that he can be against everyone who is involved in these talks?

I don't know if I would use the word ‘strong’. He just says "no", he is "Mr. No". If you go back to the ideas of Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, he has rejected every idea that Americans have put forward. The American system is realizing it. They are finally coming to the conclusion, on both sides of the aisle, so to speak, that Kurti is not being helpful to the Americans.

Are there better negotiators?

I supported Hashim Thaci. I think he understood that he had to give in in order to move forward. What the Europeans did to him is very ugly.

If some Serbian leader or representative had acted like that, Serbia would have been punished, and nothing is happening to Kurti. How do you explain that?

I now work in the private sector, observing things from the outside, just like you. But when I was in the Trump administration, we were very tough on Mr. Kurti. Some people would say that I was too tough. Some people would say that I wasn't fair. I believe that I was fair. I believe that I looked at the policies and I saw the people who were willing to take steps forward. No one thinks this is an easy process, it's difficult, but both sides have to be able to move forward together.

We in the Trump administration believe that sitting around the table and talking about political issues is getting us nowhere. We want economic development, that would get things going. Young people watching this, young people across the region want higher-paying jobs. And the way to achieve that is to end this frozen conflict so that we can start developing the economy, and bring American and European businesses to this region to create a better economy with higher-paying jobs.

How do you view the American role in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina?

The opposite of "America first" is "consensus with the Europeans". We in the Trump administration believed that it needed American leadership. People from the White House, from the administration, needed to step forward. When I was appointed I was the Presidential Envoy, not the State Department Envoy. I represented President Trump. I could walk into the president's office and give some ideas. I could tell directly tell him what the two parties wanted.

We don’t have that now with President Biden. The State Department coordinates with the Europeans, and I believe when you put Europeans in charge, you get a lot of talk and not a lot of action. I think that we are seeing that now. We are seeing discussions fall apart. You need American leadership, you need American leaders to step up and be trusted by both sides.

But when things get stuck I would say that the American ambassadors do what they need to do. They change the crisis, so to speak?

Yes, I think they are being helpful, but I also think that the involvement of the White House is necessary. You have to have a very high-level involvement. You need someone who can walk into the president's office and get his attention.

Does the US have an interest in this region, or rather, how big is that interest?

It's certainly not as high as it was during the Trump administration. Back then, many people from the administration came here and were very interested. We have not seen high-level visits, we see that leaders in the region are really struggling to get America's attention. I will repeat, I think Biden's policy is to allow Europeans to be in charge. And Europeans need the Americans. While I was an envoy I informed Berlin and Paris quite regularly.

We did not harmonize with the EU and Brussels, and those who say that are right. But I worked closely with Berlin and Paris because I believed that if you work with the Germans and the French then they will coordinate with Brussels, and let them coordinate. Because, as we know, coordination with Brussels is more than a full-time job.

In addition to Kosovo, how do you see the potential of economic relations between the US and Serbia? The Trump administration was very ambitious in this regard, especially in the last months of the mandate. The DFC office is open. What's happening with all of that?

We solved the crossing issue, thanks to President Vucic, who stood up for it. We initiated many things during the Trump administration on the economic front. I will remind you that we had four economic agreements, the last one was particularly extensive. But before that, we reached an agreement between the two parties that enabled direct flights between Belgrade and Pristina. That is something that needs to be implemented.

I see this region as very exciting. I love coming to Serbia. The economy is growing. There is an energy here, you may not feel it because you live here, but when you come from somewhere else, when Americans come here, they feel this incredible energy. You don't feel that in other places in the region, but you do in Serbia. I hope that we will bring in as much American investment here as possible, we need to move forward with the great friendship between America and Serbia.

Let's talk about American energy. Donald Trump has announced that he will run in 2024. Will you be on his team and will you support him?

I already support him and I think he was the greatest president in our modern history. I am happy that he will run and I think Serbian Americans should vote for him and support him. He has made a huge impact on this region. I will do whatever the President wants me to do. I think he will be very successful because he is going to concentrate on economics. He is going to bring oil prices down, inflation will be lowered. That’s going to impact the rest of the world. The world needs somebody like Donald Trump.

I'll tell you something else. I don't believe there would be a war in Ukraine if Trump were president. I think he knows how to pick up the phone, he knows what tough diplomacy is and he can talk directly to people. You saw what he did with North Korea. He was ready to pick up the phone and talk to President Putin. He is unafraid of negotiations. And that's what we need in American leadership.

And your role?

We will leave it to President Trump, and I'm happy to do whatever I can to help him get re-elected.

Many people wonder, as you like to say in America, what brings you to this neck of the woods?

Yes, it is a great saying. I am now in the private sector and I am working with private investors to realize the economic ideas that we came up with when I was in the government, which is to bring the private sector into the region. I think there is a lot of private sector money, a lot of investments, that can be made here. Certainly, people who invest want to make money, but it's always about moving forward. I come to the entire region quite regularly to try to bring in some exciting American investments.

To finish with excitement, who are you rooting for at the World Cup?

For Americans, of course.

I thought you maybe had sympathy for some other teams.

I'm fully for America.

Mr. Grenell, thank you for this interview.

Thank you, Zoran.