Krstic: The US under Trump may have its own mediation approach to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue

There is a possibility that, over a longer period, the United States may reestablish a separate track in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, not formally leaving the EU-mediated negotiations but adding its own mediation approach similar to the one that existed in 2019 and 2020, Milan Krstic, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, said for Kosovo Online, discussing the approach the US might take in the dialogue following Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.

This unique mediation approach, Krstic explained, would likely once again focus on economic issues and what has been called “economic normalization.” In this framework, Krstic believes there would be more room for “out-of-the-box” thinking or solutions, which brings both potential opportunities and certain risks.

“It is clear that the election outcome doesn’t favor Albin Kurti, given that he was openly aligned with the Democratic candidate and likely fears a repeat of the 2020 scenario. Back then, under pressure from Trump’s administration, he was effectively removed, and Avdullah Hoti replaced him. However, it is uncertain if this will happen again. It is evident that people within Trump’s circle, who are expected to hold high positions, such as Richard Grenell, support different political options among Kosovo Albanians, primarily Hashim Thaci, who is currently imprisoned on war crime charges,” Krstic stated.