Radojkovic: Russia has done everything to prevent a "Kosovo scenario" in Ukraine

Historian Stefan Radojkovic stated that Russia had done everything to prevent a "Kosovo scenario" from unfolding in Ukraine, making it impossible to apply any model that would involve appointing a special envoy, as was the case with Kosovo.

"Russia has done everything to ensure that, at least in its case, there is no 'Kosovo scenario.' We must remember that one of the reasons for Putin’s rise to power was NATO’s intervention and the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as the subsequent events after 1999," Radojkovic told Kosovo Online.

According to him, Finnish President Alexander Stubb’s call for an "independent special envoy" is no longer a viable option for Ukraine.

"That plan is no longer feasible. Finland discredited itself by officially joining NATO under Prime Minister Sanna Marin. As a result, the comparative advantage it once had – its traditional neutrality, which was recognized in 2006 and 2007 during Ahtisaari’s leadership in the Berlin Process – no longer exists," the historian emphasized.

He added that Austria could take on Finland’s former neutral mediation role, but the fundamental issue is that Russia does not trust solutions coming from the EU.

"The only country that could be considered even remotely neutral in this conflict is Austria, but even it would struggle to propose anything. The core problem is that Moscow does not trust Europe or EU member states, especially the older ones like France and Germany. Naturally, Finland is also no longer viewed positively by Moscow, precisely because it abandoned its traditional neutrality," Radojkovic explained.

Another key reason why the "Kosovo scenario" is impossible to apply to Ukraine, he noted, lies in the "different actors" involved.

"The parties involved in the conflicts in the Balkans are not the same as those engaged in the Ukraine crisis today. In other words, Russia is a major power, a global player, the third strongest country in the world, and it will not allow itself to be treated like the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Especially given its vast nuclear arsenal and the fact that the situation on the ground in Ukraine is currently unfolding favorably for Russia," Radojkovic stated.

He also cited a third, crucial reason: Moscow’s conditions for ending the conflict in Ukraine.

"Moscow has laid out three conditions for initiating any negotiations, and these are conditions that the West – primarily the US – must agree to. When Russians negotiate, they negotiate exclusively with Washington. They have no interest in the EU whatsoever. Their three conditions are: recognition of all territories Russia has conquered and formally annexed – four regions plus Crimea, Ukraine must be a genuinely neutral state, and no peacekeeping missions under the UN, NATO, or any combined format can be present on Ukrainian territory," Radojkovic explained.