Vladisavljev: Economic cooperation with the U.S. could strengthen Pristina — If Belgrade allows it

Stefan Vladisavljev, Program Coordinator at the BFPE Foundation for a Responsible Society, believes that potential cooperation between Kosovo and the United States could strengthen Pristina’s position in the dialogue with Belgrade. However, he emphasizes that this largely depends on the Serbian side, which, unlike Kosovo, has much more to offer to the U.S. administration.

Vladisavljev notes that U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump is increasingly being shaped around economic interests.

“Just a few months after Donald Trump came to power and formed his administration, we began receiving clear signals about the foundations on which bilateral relations with countries around the world would be based. The message is clear: the era of so-called free aid or development assistance is over, and from now on, the U.S. will focus on economic relations that bring certain benefits to Washington itself,” he explained.

He adds that this is the basis on which Trump and his administration will shape their foreign policy, and countries around the world are now trying to position themselves accordingly.

“We’re seeing responses from officials worldwide, including in our region, who are rushing to attract attention and offer something that would be of interest to the United States — in order to establish this new era of relations in the best possible way,” Vladisavljev said.

In that context, he interprets the recent statements by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani during her visit to the U.S.

“I would view the president’s statements as reactive to signals from Washington. If Kosovo — or anyone else in the region or the world — can offer something that serves Washington’s interests, such as the development of economic relations that benefit U.S. companies and citizens, that could open the door for initiating dialogue and cooperation going forward,” he pointed out.

Nevertheless, Vladisavljev warns that economic interests must not overshadow broader political issues.

“First of all, the fact is that communication between Pristina and Washington in recent times has not been at the highest level and is currently somewhat stagnant. After all, neither Pristina nor Belgrade has an ambassador in place, and we have yet to see whether Washington will take a more active role in that area. It seems to me that no matter how economic relations develop, they should not mask certain political problems — both domestic and in bilateral relations with the U.S.,” Vladisavljev stated.

Asked whether potential economic cooperation with the U.S. could strengthen Pristina’s position in dialogue with Belgrade, Vladisavljev said that depends largely on Serbia’s approach:

“It would have an impact only to the extent that the Serbian side allows it. If we compare the economies of Kosovo and Serbia, Serbia has far more to offer the U.S. While both economies are small on a global scale, there is a clear sphere of interest for the U.S. that would allow Serbia to establish relations with Washington in this new era — relations that could serve as a basis for dialogue in other areas as well,” he assessed.

He also pointed out that U.S. interest in key raw materials in Serbia is no secret, and that several close associates of Donald Trump have been visiting Belgrade in efforts to potentially establish business ties.

“It seems that future cooperation with the U.S. will be defined by this kind of communication — simply put, if you want to cooperate with Americans through the end of 2028, you’d better have something to offer and find a way to get their attention,” Vladisavljev concluded.