Zivotic: In Ukraine, they are lobbying for the recognition of Kosovo, but such a move would harm them amid the war with Russia

Professor at the Department of History, Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, Aleksandar Zivotic, believes that Ukrainian recognition of Kosovo would be a significant blow to Serbia and a consequence of lobbying, however, he doubts it will happen because such a move would drastically damage the country's position amidst the war with Russia.

Commenting on the announcement by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Albania, Volodymyr Shkurov, that the issue of recognizing Kosovo is on Kyiv's agenda and that it's only a matter of time, Zivotic told Kosovo Online that it was a "bombastic and unexpected statement" and an "outlier from the main course of Ukrainian foreign policy."

"It is hard to say whether this deviation is accidental or deliberate. In Ukraine, there is a faction advocating for the recognition of Kosovo's independence. It's difficult to determine how much this faction is influenced by current events and how much it's the result of certain lobbying structures within Kyiv. What is important to note is that these are primarily opposition politicians who have even initiated several initiatives in that direction," Zivotic says.

He explains that one initiative was supposed to be discussed in the Ukrainian parliament but didn't pass the relevant committee, while in another case, a petition was organized, but it also failed.

Zivotic emphasizes that there are clear reasons why Ukraine wouldn't want to recognize Kosovo at this time.

"Considering the simple fact that Ukraine is currently facing the annexation of parts of its territory by Russia, persistently from 2014 to date, it would certainly be a move that would drastically harm its position, primarily in relation to Russia but also to the main players on the international scene," Zivotic says.

He adds that it is also crucial for Serbia to prevent such recognition.

"It is extremely important for Serbia that this does not happen for several reasons. Firstly, the recognition of Kosovo's independence by yet another European country, a large - populous state, moreover, very close and predominantly Slavic and Orthodox, would be a significant blow to Serbia at this time. On the other hand, Serbia's position regarding Russia would somehow change. Russia would certainly welcome such recognition because it would severely undermine Ukrainian positions not only in Belgrade but also in the region. In this way, they would once again gain a certain argument to justify the current Russian policy towards Ukraine," Zivotic believes.

According to him, the best scenario for Kosovo would be if Ukraine opened a representation in Pristina below the level of an embassy, but the chances of that are slim.

"Given that Ukraine is at war and that its priorities are much broader and drastically different from those desired by the Pristina authorities, it's difficult to expect that. Although it should be noted that a number of countries that have not recognized Kosovo's independence have representations of various ranks, levels, and different tasks in Pristina," Professor Zivotic concludes.