Kanin: Suspension of strategic dialogue a signal that the US does not want cooperation with Kurti

Former CIA analyst for the Balkans David B. Kanin stated that the US decision to indefinitely suspend the strategic dialogue with Kosovo due to the actions of the provisional government that increased tensions and instability is a signal from the United States that it does not want to cooperate with Albin Kurti.

“This makes a big difference for Kosovo. The United States is signaling that it does not want to cooperate with Albin Kurti. That is clear. They want elections,” Kanin told Kosovo Online.

He added that Kosovo has no support it can rely on from anyone except the United States, and now it is uncertain whether Kurti can count on them.

Pointing out that US President Donald Trump has not succeeded in achieving peace in Ukraine or Gaza, Kanin said that Americans will only get seriously involved if they believe there is a chance for renewed dialogue and progress in talks with Serbia, as well as progress regarding Kosovo policy.

“The last thing Washington wants is yet another impression of failure. For years, Prime Minister Kurti has made it clear that he does not like the existing dialogue with Serbia, particularly the proposed Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo,” he said.

Kanin added that Kurti himself admits he opposes the formation of the CSM because, regardless of its everyday constitutional competences, such an organization would become a form of forum for all Serbian grievances in Kosovo and that this organization would enjoy international recognition, while Kosovo itself does not, since five EU member states do not recognize it.

“I think Prime Minister Kurti is right in his reasons for disliking the dialogue, but no one in the West accepts that, and Serbia is getting exactly what it wants. America blames Kosovo for the failure of the dialogue. Serbia currently has its own domestic problems, serious domestic problems, but the United States chooses not to take any actions similar to those it takes against Kurti, against Aleksandar Vucic, and that attracts everyone’s attention,” Kanin said.

According to him, the problems do not lie so much in the “bilateral relations” between Kosovo and the US.

“Both sides recognize the stalemate. The real big stake is for Kosovo. If Kosovo loses American support, it is truly left without support. It cannot count on the Europeans. This is essentially about US support for Kosovo. Kosovo is really under pressure here, and the real stake in all this is Kosovo’s path forward,” he said.

Kanin said the question is whether there will be snap elections in Kosovo and whether they will change anything.

“The question is also whether Kurti will manage to win the elections despite clear US efforts to push him out. If he loses, what will the opposition do with so many of its leaders on trial in The Hague, with their defense only just beginning? Who exactly would be the next likely prime minister? That is not clear,” he said.

He reminded that opposition parties in Kosovo have failed to cooperate and unite against Kurti.

According to him, this is one of the reasons Kosovo finds itself in a “dead end.”

“It is not just about Kurti. So, there are many unknowns,” Kanin said.

According to him, it is also clear that there are many within the US administration who favor the Serbian point of view.

However, he added, the question is whether Washington will focus on the region.

“I assume that if President Trump believes he can reach a deal that could help him win the Nobel Peace Prize and be seen as a success for him, then I think he could move forward and take part in it,” Kanin added.

However, he noted that since Trump has failed to end the war in Ukraine, and failed to end the war in Gaza, he does not want to engage in Kosovo and risk yet another failure.