Osmani visit to the US: Trump prevented a possible escalation from Serbia to Kosovo in recent weeks

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said she has "reliable information" that US President Donald Trump has recently prevented the possibility of a possible escalation of the situation from Serbia to Kosovo.

"He (Trump) is very clear in his statement that he is talking about the last few weeks," said President Osmani, emphasizing that this is not about developments in 2023 or 2020, but "about developments very, very late."

She made the comments during a lecture in Washington, where she also recalled the September 2023 attack in Banjska, describing it as an "act of aggression" by Serbia - "prepared entirely within Serbia."

"So, we should not deny the possibility, because it has happened before," Osmani said, referring to the armed attack by a group of Serbs against the Kosovo Police, in which Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed.

"Since it has happened before, prevention and deterrence are essential. And, sometimes, prevention and deterrence require more than just the presence of the military. They also require political leadership. It takes a phone call, a warning, and that is exactly what happens when America takes a leadership role," she said.

In her speech, President Osmani warned that the dangers from Serbia are ongoing and said that they should not be underestimated.

According to her, President Trump has done everything in his power so far to ensure the maintenance of peace in the entire Western Balkans region.

"And of course, this starts with curbing Serbia," she said.

Regarding Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Osmani said that he "has remained stuck in the mindset of the '90s" and that the 2023 attack in Banjska is proof of this.

She said that Kosovo works closely with all levels of the US Government – ​​whether in the field of security and intelligence, defense or politics – with the aim of “together protecting and preserving peace”.

"We have our institutions that are doing an excellent job in gathering information and we work with individual partners to confirm the information that our institutions are collecting. So, we are never alone," Osmani said.

At the same time, she also praised the soldiers of the NATO mission, KFOR, in Kosovo, saying that they do "an excellent job in maintaining security and stability."

Speaking about the meetings he is holding in the US and the relations between Kosovo and the US, Osmani said that President Trump's administration has new ideas to further strengthen them.

"We want to sit down with partners in this administration to explain how Kosovo has this potential. This, of course, is in the interest of our people, in the interest of our country and in the interest of our region. But, at the same time, this aligns with the priorities of the Trump administration to make America safer, stronger and more prosperous," Osmani said.

She added that in meetings with American officials, the dialogue for the normalization of relations with Serbia was not discussed - "for the first time in many years."

"We talked about Kosovo and the United States. For the first time, we didn't talk about Serbia. Perfect. They were perfect conversations," Osmani said, without going into too many details.

United States President Donald Trump has repeatedly cited his mediation in relations between Kosovo and Serbia as an example of the US's role in preventing conflicts.

The two countries, during Trump's first term, signed an agreement to normalize economic relations, in his presence, in 2020.

However, the agreement, which also included recognition of Kosovo's independence by Israel, was never fully implemented. /REL/