American gas and Kosovo: What is in Pristina’s interest and would the offer strengthen U.S. political support?

Pristina has received an unequivocal message from Washington: enter into a long-term energy partnership with the United States through liquefied natural gas (LNG) to secure your energy future. The United States has no hidden motives—its interest is to push Russia out of the energy sector in the Western Balkans and to sell its own gas, Kosovo Online's interlocutors assess. Whether switching to natural gas represents a long-term solution for Kosovo is viewed differently, while stronger U.S. political support for Pristina, should it say “yes,” is not seen as an automatic component of such an arrangement.

Written by: Dusica Radeka Djordjevic

On the eve of the recent elections in Kosovo, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, Anu Prattipati, stated that the United States encourages Kosovo to enter into a long-term energy partnership with America through liquefied natural gas (LNG), warning that delaying such a decision risks diverting U.S. LNG supplies elsewhere.

Prattipati pointed out that this could leave Kosovo as the only place in the Western Balkans without access to American LNG.

Almost in unison, representatives of Albanian opposition parties in Kosovo responded by arguing that the new government’s first priority should be the American gas project and that the stakes involve far more than an ordinary economic initiative—they concern Kosovo’s geopolitical orientation, energy security, and alliance with the United States.

They also directed criticism at Albin Kurti, whose government rejected the U.S.-backed gas project in 2021.

As then-Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli explained at the time, the proposed arrangement was rejected because there was insufficient information to determine whether building gas infrastructure represented the best option for Kosovo’s energy transition.

Kurti himself, following Prattipati’s remarks, said that he would prefer to convert Kosovo’s coal into gas rather than import gas. According to him, Kosovo is interested in American companies capable of gasifying lignite, a resource that Kosovo possesses in abundance.

“We are very interested in American expertise and American corporations for lignite gasification because we have our own resources. I believe this is not inconsistent with the current policy of the U.S. administration, which does not distance itself from coal utilization to the same extent as the previous administration,” he said.

At the same time, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo published an analysis arguing that Kosovo’s lignite-based electricity generation facilities are outdated and that energy diversification remains limited. As a result, it concluded that American LNG would represent not only an alternative energy source but also a strategic instrument.

Pathway to American Investment

President of the Kosovo Business Alliance, Agim Shahini, told Kosovo Online that Kosovo should enter into an energy partnership with the United States because it would provide cheaper gas for businesses. Whatever is being offered by America, he believes, should be accepted because it is beneficial for Kosovo.

Shahini recalled that the Government of Kosovo had rejected several U.S. projects in the past, resulting in various sanctions and consequences.

“We have paid a high price for the stubborn attitude of our leadership toward America. As the Kosovo Business Alliance, and as citizens of Kosovo, we want inclusion in the gas project as soon as possible. It is a new opportunity for Kosovo to obtain standard and cheaper gas for the economy and production. The Government of Kosovo should act quickly and say: ‘We are here, we are joining together with all Balkan countries for the benefit of our economy and our people,’” Shahini believes.

Senior Fellow at the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, Daniel Kochis, says that energy is one of the key pillars of U.S. engagement in the Western Balkans and that Washington views Kosovo’s inclusion in the American LNG import network as both a strategic and business issue.

According to him, the United States wants as many countries as possible connected to the American LNG supply network and sees this not only as a matter of energy security but also of good governance and limiting what it considers the malign influence of external actors.

“This is a strategic and energy opportunity, including an opportunity to improve air quality in Kosovo. The United States is already involved in modernizing certain coal-fired power plants. I think that a transition toward an LNG platform is something the White House has advocated for quite some time,” he stated.

In his view, the message from the State Department should be understood primarily as an effort to attract American investment to the region.

“It is also a rule-of-law issue. If the region is viewed as a stable environment, it will attract more American investment. At the same time, it will limit Chinese and Russian investments while keeping American investors engaged in the region,” he argues.

Projects such as modernization initiatives supported by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, he adds, demonstrate that Washington today has numerous instruments at its disposal for promoting energy projects throughout the region.

“The United States wants to see a unified and interconnected region. That is why including Kosovo in this framework is simultaneously a strategic and business issue, and one on which Washington would like to see greater readiness and determination from regional authorities. That is precisely why we witnessed this highly unusual public intervention by the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy,” Kochis concluded.

“There Are Better Projects”

There are, however, differing views regarding what would best serve Kosovo’s energy future.

Program Coordinator at the BFPE Foundation for a Responsible Society, Damir Dizdarevic, says that while there may be political reasons for Pristina to join the American gas supply chain, there are fewer energy-related reasons because natural gas is not a long-term solution for Kosovo.

According to him, the primary incentive for joining the project would be to strengthen support from Washington, as signing such an agreement could potentially facilitate closer cooperation. However, he argues that there is no fundamental energy rationale because Kosovo lacks the necessary gas infrastructure.

“Even according to conservative estimates, it would take seven to ten years to develop everything—from new pipelines and transmission networks to distribution systems. Given the political instability throughout the region, it would likely take even longer. Kosovo has spent €700 million on electricity imports in recent years while its power plants are outdated. It needs decarbonization for the sake of energy security, but I am concerned that natural gas is not a sufficiently rapid solution to meet its needs,” Dizdarevic told Kosovo Online.

Looking at the issue from the perspective of European integration, he notes that Kosovo will eventually have to move away from coal, but in his opinion natural gas is not the long-term answer.

“There are much better projects available to ensure stable yet flexible energy supplies, including biomass and other alternatives. Nevertheless, coal will likely remain, at least in the medium term, if not the dominant component, then certainly a very important factor in Kosovo’s energy system,” he said.

As for Washington’s interests, Dizdarevic believes that the primary objective is to remove Russian influence from the Western Balkans’ energy sector. The secondary objective stems from the fact that the United States became one of the world’s largest LNG producers and exporters following the shale revolution of the 2010s, creating a strong interest in marketing American natural gas throughout the Western Balkans and thereby increasing U.S. influence.

A Mutual Interest

President of the Pupin Initiative, Vuk Velebit, also argues that investments in gas infrastructure demonstrate the pragmatic approach of the administration of Donald Trump toward the region and its clear policy of reducing dependence on Russia and other actors perceived as potentially destabilizing.

“When it comes to Europe, and consequently our region, energy diversification—and from the American perspective, American LNG—is of crucial importance. We saw this recently at the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Dubrovnik, where major investments were announced. We have seen it in Poland, and we are now seeing it in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, I believe the Kosovo gas initiative is part of a broader American strategy aimed at increasing U.S. energy presence in the region,” he said.

In his opinion, the arrival of American natural gas in Kosovo would provide greater security of supply, while also creating business opportunities for the United States.

“That would be in America’s interest, but it would also be in the interest of people living in Kosovo and Metohija, who would gain a stable gas supply. Just as the entire region is pursuing energy diversification, no country should again find itself dependent on a single partner for gas or other energy resources,” Velebit believes.

Uncertain Political Gains

One question that naturally arises is whether a positive response from Kosovo to the American proposal would generate political benefits for Pristina.

Shahini believes that the U.S. gas project is both economic and political in nature and that Kosovo cannot afford to remain outside it, as doing so could expose it to measures detrimental to its interests. Dizdarevic, however, disagrees.

In his view, Kosovo would not suffer significant consequences if it declined to sign a gas agreement with the United States because it remains one of America’s most important partners in the region and is already largely free from Russian influence.

“Whether they accept or reject the project, it will not have major long-term consequences for relations between Pristina and Washington, although the United States is clearly very persistent regarding the sale of LNG to Kosovo,” Dizdarevic said.

According to him, the issue is more about connecting regional markets through a hub in North Macedonia and facilitating the sale of American LNG than about political leverage.

“There may be some positive side effects, but we must also examine Donald Trump’s foreign policy and ask whether this is a typical transactional project through which he seeks to advance the interests of people close to him, as some critics allege in the case of the Southern Interconnection project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or whether it reflects a more stable and long-term American energy diplomacy toward Kosovo. We do not currently have an answer to that question, yet it is crucial. If it is a lasting energy diplomacy initiative, then perhaps some political benefits could follow. If not, there will be no significant political gains,” Dizdarevic assessed.

Velebit believes that joining the American gas project could bring Kosovo a greater degree of political support from the United States, although not necessarily, because the Trump administration is primarily focused on achieving concrete agreements that do not always translate into political backing.

He argues that Kurti’s administration has often demonstrated a confrontational attitude toward the United States and that Trump is well aware of Kurti’s preference for Democratic candidates and support for Kamala Harris.

“I am not convinced that this administration in Washington will simply reverse course and embrace Kurti. It seems more likely to me that Americans will seek to support the emergence of an alternative political force capable of replacing Albin Kurti,” Velebit said.

Kochis, meanwhile, believes that energy will become one of the key pillars of future U.S.-Kosovo relations.

“We have seen what this has meant for countries such as Lithuania. We have also seen the LNG terminal on Krk LNG Terminal. Therefore, I believe that connecting as many countries as possible to this network of pipelines and LNG infrastructure will be regarded as beneficial both for countries such as Kosovo and for the United States itself,” Kochis concluded.