Donic: Grenell's appointment could have positive effects on Serbia and Albania

Petar Donic from New Third Way says that the appointment of Richard Grenell as the US President’s Special Envoy for Special Missions could positively impact Serbia and Albania. However, he notes that the same may not apply to Kosovo, given Grenell’s consistent criticism of Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti during his tenure as the US Envoy for the Western Balkans.

Donic points out that Grenell maintains very strong relations with both Belgrade and Tirana, suggesting that his new role will have a favorable impact on these two countries.

“Grenell’s appointment could have a positive effect on the region, primarily on Serbia and Albania, because Grenell has good relations with Serbia and also with Albania. On the other hand, Grenell has not developed any relationship with Kurti’s administration, in fact, he consistently criticized it during his time as US Envoy. Therefore, it can be interpreted that Grenell’s influence will have positive effects on Serbia and Albania,” Donic told Kosovo Online.

However, he notes that the new US administration's primary focus will be on Ukraine and other global conflict zones.

“They will certainly concentrate on key current hotspots, including Ukraine, particularly in the initial period. Of course, this was also part of their campaign promises,” he said.

Donic recalls that after the US elections, when Republican Donald Trump won, there was speculation that Grenell would become Secretary of State in the new administration.

Although this did not materialize, Donic notes that Grenell has secured a significant position.

“He has been assigned a role that is essentially directly subordinate to the President. He is a Special Envoy, similar to how Biden had John Kerry as his Special Envoy for Climate Issues, where Kerry represented Biden in discussions with world leaders on various topics, including ecology. Grenell would have a similar function here and could, on Trump’s behalf, visit key conflict zones, negotiate, and broker agreements,” Donic explained.

He views Grenell’s appointment as a strategic move to strengthen Trump’s influence over US foreign policy, particularly since Trump’s choice for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is a traditional candidate whose views do not align entirely with those of the newly elected President.

Through Grenell, Trump could exert additional influence on US foreign policy, Donic concluded.