Vujinovic: Zelensky's statement a major symbolic blow to Kosovo

Security studies researcher Nikola Vujinovic assessed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that Kyiv's position on the non-recognition of Kosovo remains unchanged represents a major symbolic blow to Pristina.

According to Vujinovic, this was the first time Zelensky had stated Kyiv's position on Kosovo's independence so openly, and he did so during a visit to Belgrade.

"Mr. Zelensky has never before stated so unequivocally that there will be no recognition of Kosovo's independence. And this comes after four and a half years of support that Kosovo has provided to Kyiv, both in weapons and humanitarian aid. We can say that the scale of that assistance has been minimal, but the symbolism is what matters. That is why this symbolic blow is significant," Vujinovic told Kosovo Online.

He assessed that Kosovo views Ukraine as an ally in the broader Euro-Atlantic sense.

"Kosovo sees Ukraine as its ally—not merely an ally in the sense that it supports Ukraine in the war it is fighting, but also in the sense that it regards both Ukraine and itself as part of a broader Euro-Atlantic community jointly fighting against 'evil,' whether that 'evil' is Russian or Serbian. And then such an ally, such a partner, despite not recognizing you, comes and makes a statement like that. We have seen some more moderate reactions saying that this was expected. People in Pristina who closely follow Ukraine knew that such a position would emerge, so they were not surprised. However, the broader public was surprised because it had constantly been led to believe that support was being given to Ukraine in anticipation of something that would follow," Vujinovic explained.

He said that this was why the statement had such a major impact, adding that it had also been interpreted in the context of the domestic political situation in Pristina.

"This has been used as yet another point of political contention because we can see that representatives of Self-Determination were extremely restrained. Neither Mr. Konjufca nor Ms. Haxhiu appeared particularly disturbed by Mr. Zelensky's statement, whereas Perparim Rama, for example, was. As Mayor of Pristina, he then had the large 'Free Ukraine' flag removed," Vujinovic said.

Asked what recognizing Kosovo would bring Kyiv, Vujinovic explained why such a move would not currently be in Ukraine's interest.

"If that were to happen before Ukraine's territorial issues were resolved, it would spell the end of its territorial claims. In other words, if Kyiv recognized what it considers the illegal secession of Kosovo from Serbia by Kosovo Albanians, that would provide the Russian Federation with its strongest argument to say: well, the people of Crimea also voted in a referendum to secede, so it is the same situation—the United Nations should recognize both. That is why Ukraine does not want to recognize Kosovo's territorial integrity or Kosovo's independence until it has resolved its own territorial issue, whatever that resolution may ultimately be. Whether that means recognizing Crimea as part of the Russian Federation or recognizing those four regions as part of the Russian Federation, there will be no policy toward an independent Kosovo until that issue has been resolved," he said.

Nevertheless, Vujinovic believes that Ukraine will change its position after the war ends and become one of the first countries to newly recognize Kosovo.

"On the first day after a peace agreement is signed—hopefully soon—between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, I expect Ukraine to be among the first new countries to recognize Kosovo. That is because Ukraine is fundamentally part of that Euro-Atlantic alliance, of which Kosovo is the best project, or the most successful project, or at least one of the projects that has not yet failed. So I believe that is the point at which we can expect this to happen. However, given the current situation on the front, there is no prospect of it happening in the short term," Vujinovic concluded.