Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first visit to Serbia since taking office in 2019 has placed an increasingly sensitive issue back at the center of the Balkans: Ukraine’s position on Kosovo and what that position could mean for Kosovo’s future international recognition.
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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić shake hands in Belgrade, where discussions centered on bilateral relations, regional security, and Ukraine's unchanged position regarding Kosovo's independence. |
But one of the most closely watched issues was Kosovo.
Zelenskyy made clear that Ukraine’s position has not changed.
“Our position regarding the declaration of independence of Kosovo remains unchanged,” he said, while noting Ukraine’s appreciation for countries that respect Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. Vučić, meanwhile, confirmed that Serbia’s position on Kosovo also remains unchanged.
For Kosovo, Ukraine’s continued refusal to recognize its independence is a major diplomatic obstacle. Ukraine is one of the larger European countries that has not recognized Kosovo, while Kyiv has repeatedly emphasized the principle of territorial integrity in the context of Russia’s invasion.
Meçollari: “Do not rush to play the patriot”
Retired Albanian commander and military analyst Artur Meçollari offered a markedly different interpretation of the controversy, warning against reacting emotionally to Ukraine’s position.
In a statement published on Facebook, Meçollari argued that Kosovo’s long-term prospects for joining the United Nations are closely connected to the outcome of the war in Ukraine and, more specifically, to a potential weakening of Russia’s ability to use its veto power in the UN Security Council.
“‘Patriot’, do not rush,” Meçollari wrote, arguing that those who respond with anger to Ukraine’s position risk overlooking the broader geopolitical equation.
According to Meçollari, Ukraine currently has little room to recognize Kosovo because Kyiv needs international partners and diplomatic support while fighting Russia.
His argument is essentially that Ukraine’s position should not necessarily be interpreted as permanent hostility toward Kosovo, but as a calculation dictated by the current balance of power.
Meçollari also urged Kosovo’s supporters to consider the strategic environment in which Kyiv is operating rather than demanding an immediate diplomatic decision.
“Let Kosovo manage its relations with Ukraine,” he argued, adding that Albania should listen first to Kosovo and then to its allies when addressing the Ukraine issue.
The Russia factor
Meçollari’s argument rests heavily on the role of Russia in the UN Security Council.
Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and possesses veto power. Moscow has traditionally opposed Kosovo’s independence and has backed Serbia’s position on the issue.
This means that even if Ukraine were to recognize Kosovo, recognition alone would not automatically lead to UN membership.
The key question is whether the balance of power inside the Security Council could eventually change.
Meçollari therefore links Kosovo’s UN ambitions to a broader geopolitical transformation: a Russia weakened to the point where it could no longer effectively block Kosovo’s membership.
His reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 is particularly significant. The resolution was adopted in 1999, following the Kosovo War, and established the international framework for Kosovo under UN administration.
The broader lesson Meçollari draws from that period is that Kosovo’s international status has always been heavily influenced by the balance between major powers.
A former Dutch ambassador also sees Ukraine's position as significant
Former Dutch Ambassador to Kosovo Robert Bosch reacted to Zelenskyy’s visit to Belgrade by raising another possibility, according Kosovo media outlets.
Bosch said he hoped that recognition of Kosovo would eventually become a condition for Ukraine on its path toward European Union membership, just as Kosovo remains an important part of Serbia’s own European integration process.
His comments underline the growing diplomatic paradox surrounding Kyiv.
Ukraine strongly emphasizes sovereignty and territorial integrity because those principles are fundamental to its own struggle against Russia. Yet Ukraine simultaneously remains unwilling to recognize Kosovo, whose supporters argue that its independence is irreversible.
For Belgrade, the issue is equally sensitive.
Serbia continues to reject Kosovo’s independence while simultaneously declaring support for Ukraine’s European integration.
Vučić backs Ukraine’s EU path
Despite Serbia’s historically close relationship with Moscow and its continued dependence on Russian energy, Vučić said Belgrade wants Ukraine to advance toward EU membership.
“We want Ukraine to open and close all negotiating chapters with the EU as soon as possible,” Vučić said, arguing that Serbia would do everything it could to assist Ukraine on its European path.
The statement illustrates Serbia’s increasingly delicate balancing act between Russia and the European Union.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Belgrade has attempted to preserve its traditional relationship with Moscow while maintaining its own European ambitions.
Zelenskyy’s visit therefore carried considerable symbolism.
A Ukrainian president standing alongside the Serbian leadership — while both sides openly acknowledge their fundamentally different positions on Kosovo — demonstrates just how complicated the geopolitical landscape of the Balkans has become.
Kosovo and Ukraine: The bigger strategic calculation
The controversy surrounding Zelenskyy’s visit risks being reduced to a simple question: Why does Ukraine not recognize Kosovo?
Meçollari’s argument suggests that the more important question may be: What geopolitical conditions would make Ukrainian recognition possible?
From this perspective, Kosovo’s relationship with Ukraine should not be judged solely through today’s diplomatic position.
Kyiv is fighting a war in which international alliances, weapons supplies and diplomatic support are critical. At the same time, Ukraine’s leadership must consider the reaction of countries that could influence the outcome of the war.
That does not guarantee that Ukraine will recognize Kosovo in the future.
But it does suggest that the current position may be influenced not only by principles concerning territorial integrity, but also by the brutal realities of wartime diplomacy.
For Albania and Kosovo, Meçollari’s warning is therefore strategic rather than emotional: Balkan diplomacy cannot be separated from the larger confrontation between Russia and the West.
And as long as Russia retains its veto at the UN Security Council, Kosovo’s road toward UN membership will remain inseparable from the broader geopolitical balance.