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On September 12, 2025, the U.S. suspended its planned Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo. The U.S. Embassy in Pristina cited concerns that the caretaker government under Prime Minister Albin Kurti has taken actions that increase tensions and instability, especially in Serb-majority areas in northern Kosovo, and delayed institution-building after the February 2025 elections. Washington stated that these actions are constraining its ability to work productively with Kosovo on shared priorities.
In reality, the US suspended its Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo not so much because of the concerns of the Serbs in Kosovo, as because of Kurti’s uncontrollability.
Reasons for suspension
The US decision to suspend the talks is a calculated move to put pressure on Kurti to be a more constructive partner with Washington and its transatlantic allies. According to senior US diplomat Jonathan Michael Moore, with many years of experience in the Balkans, Washington’s decision is a punishment for Kurti, who has not achieved the results sought by the US. According to the diplomat, the main interest of the US is the stability and prosperity of the region and they are looking for a partner who avoids destabilization.
The February 2025 elections in Kosovo did not produce a stable government. The Speaker of the Parliament was contested, there is no full government in place, and the Kurti caretaker government’s refusal to accept the Serb minority’s deputy speaker candidate is a flashpoint.
Under Kurti’s rule, Kosovo is experiencing the worst relations with the United States in its modern history. Senior US diplomats have begun to question Kosovo’s desire to remain a true partner. The Pristina government has not kept its promises to US officials and has deliberately neglected its embassy in Washington.
Kurti’s September 7 criticism of Kosovo’s Constitutional Court was just the latest in a series of Washington’s disappointments with Kurti’s government. The U.S. has explicitly criticized moves by Kosovo’s government that are seen as undermining inter-ethnic relations, especially in Serb-majority northern regions. Delays in forming institutions and rejecting minority-proposed office holders are cited.
Over the past two years, Kurti has been criticized by the United States, but also by NATO and the European Union for his unilateral appointment of ethnic Albanian mayors in Serb-majority municipalities after boycotted local elections, for his defiance of Western calls for de-escalation, and for deploying armed police units in the north. He has been warned that these actions could provoke instability.
Consequences
The suspension of Strategic Dialogue – the main format of political and economic cooperation between the two countries, is a significant diplomatic warning: it may reduce U.S. leverage and support if Kosovo’s government does not address the political and ethnic tensions. The timing of the suspension of the dialogue is unfavorable – it comes in the midst of an internal political and parliamentary crisis, from which there is no immediate way out. In addition, Kurti’s government is under increased international criticism for actions to suspend or impede the support provided by Serbia to the ethnic Serb community in Kosovo. The United States and Europe define these actions as unilateral, uncoordinated with American and international partners and unnecessarily increasing tensions.
The Kosovo government is facing the consequences of the loss of trust from its most significant partner.
The US decision to end the Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo will also negatively affect minorities in the region, and in particular the ethnic Serbs in the north. They will be more exposed to unilateral policies from local authorities, which could deepen their marginalization and increase local tensions.
Looking for a successor to Kurti
The signal from Washington is clearly aimed at restarting relations with Kosovo, but Kurti is incapable of doing so.
Kurti seems to refuse to accept Washington’s unequivocal signal. “First of all, the Strategic Dialogue itself has not been suspended, but the planning of the Strategic Dialogue has been suspended,” he said, explaining that “some politicians and diplomats in the U.S. assess that we are not helping the U.S. in separating Serbia from the Russian Federation”. Kurti attributes the U.S. decision solely to geopolitical considerations: “In my view, the U.S. considers it very important to lift Serbia out of the eastern hemisphere, since Serbia is closely tied to Moscow.”
He emphasized that Kosovo’s relationship with the United States is three-dimensional, meaning defense, development, and diplomacy. “Frankly, the pillar of defense stands stronger than the others…”
Kurti has been accused, by local and foreign observers, of being oriented towards dismantling the Ahtisaari legacy and even of being anti-American and anti-Western. The United States needs a prime minister who is capable not only of restoring relations to their previous level, but also of expanding them into new areas such as the energy sector, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, green technologies and regional infrastructure. Upholding Kosovo’s constitutional framework, including obligations to the Serbian community, is essential to opening the way for proactive US engagement on behalf of Kosovo.
Future forms of cooperation Kosovo-US: security, energy, infrastructure
Although many official channels (like Strategic Dialogue) are suspended, aid and cooperation continue in other areas (USAID, defense cooperation). U.S. grants and assistance programs continue to focus here. This shows U.S. is trying to balance holding Kosovo accountable with maintaining strategic support. U.S. involvement in Kosovo will continue mainly in the areas of security and economy, to counter Russia’s efforts to play a spoiler role in NATO’s neighboring countries and to fragment markets and trade routes, which affects American investment. The U.S. role is also supported by widespread distrust in Kosovo of the EU’s ability to deal with major security challenges, such as relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
The U.S. State Department confirmed that the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) $200 million energy program in Kosovo will continue, which means potentially large investments in the energy sector. Large corporations such as Bechtel are involved in the construction of Kosovo’s main highways, and negotiations are underway with an American company to build a new power plant. The private sector is stepping up its role, with Kosovo companies increasing their exports to the United States, while American companies have begun outsourcing digital operations to Kosovo.
On August 1, 2025, Kosovo announced it would scrap a 10% customs tariff on goods imported from the USA, eliminating this barrier entirely to promote trade and encourage U.S. investment. With tariff removal, there is a clear opening for increased U.S.-Kosovo trade. The tariff decision could help improve the business environment and attract U.S. investors or partners, if other conditions (legal certainty, stability) are met.
Defense and intelligence cooperation is also developing on a solid basis. U.S. military officials have maintained engagement with the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), including visits and assessments.
During a visit to Kosovo in August by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David A. Baker, Kosovo leaders noted that discussions were underway on a joint U.S.-Kosovo arms production program.
There is an initiative adopted by the Kosovan government to establish a framework cooperation agreement with the U.S. in the area of defense. This includes the build-up of military/strategic capacities such as air defense and air support.
Kosovo aspires to integrate with European institutions, and maintaining U.S. support is relevant in that context. Continued U.S. aid and defense cooperation suggest the relationship is not broken, but is under stress and conditional. The Strategic Dialogue will be renewed, as it helps the U.S. counter the influence of other world powers and ensure a more stable and secure Europe.
Implications for the region, Serbia and its relations with Kosovo
Although the second Trump administration has not shown interest in mediating the negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia so far, it has been unpredictable in its diplomatic initiatives, as demonstrated by the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia in August. The Trump administration may engage with this issue in order to seek a “victory” in foreign policy, but with a correction of past mistakes.
The termination of the dialogue with Kosovo is not related to developments in Serbia, and it should not be expected that the United States will significantly deepen its relations with Serbia, despite the declared start of a Strategic Dialogue with Belgrade by the end of the year. Police brutality against anti-government protests has caused great international concern, primarily in Brussels, and it is not excluded that Alexandar Vučić will resort to some kind of incitement of ethnic tensions in northern Kosovo to distract attention.
Serbia and Kosovo are not connected vessels in the US strategic partnership. Washington has separate policies towards Pristina and Belgrade. The pause in the dialogue with Kosovo is the first step towards concrete consequences for the government in Pristina. This is a signal that there will be no more tolerance. If political gridlock continues, Kosovo risks further diplomatic isolation and delays in institutional reforms and EU integration.
Whether Washington will be satisfied with the results that Vučić achieves in his rapprochement with the West will determine Washington’s assessment of whether now is the right moment to send a signal that it wishes to encourage relations with Belgrade.
