Kapchan: Kurti was unnecessarily provocative, played the nationalist card

Charles Kapchan, former Director of European Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council and a professor at Georgetown University, assessed that Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti has been unnecessarily provocative during his four-year term and played on nationalist sentiments, which, he adds, has harmed Kosovo's position on the international stage and led to a stagnation in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, according to Gazeta Express.

Kapchan points out that the new U.S. administration will demand a resolution within the framework of the dialogue, and there is a possibility that Kurti could be an obstacle on this path.

"Kurti is achieving short-term political gains at the expense of Kosovo's long-term interests. If Kurti is perceived as stubborn and a hindrance to the normalization process by the Trump administration, then his relations with Washington will be very tense," Kapchan notes.

He adds that it would not be wise for Kosovo to risk U.S. support.

Kapchan expects that with Trump's return, the U.S. will engage with the region as in his first term, but it will not be a priority given other global issues like Ukraine and the Middle East.

Regarding Kosovo and Serbia, Kapchan said that Trump might seek to close deals, considering that "he is a transactional president, not a statesman."

As for the idea of territorial solutions or land swaps, the American professor says that it is always on the table, but he does not see it as an immediate possibility.