On September 12, 2025, the United States took the dramatic step of suspending its Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo, sending shockwaves through the Balkan nation’s political establishment and raising alarm about the future of one of Kosovo’s most crucial international alliances. The move, announced by the US Embassy in Pristina, marks the lowest point in recent memory for US-Kosovo relations, a partnership that has long been described as foundational to Kosovo’s statehood and security.
The US Embassy’s statement was blunt: Washington decided on an indefinite suspension of its planned Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo due to recent actions and statements by the caretaker government, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti. According to the embassy, these actions have “increased tensions and instability, constraining the ability of the United States to work productively with Kosovo on joint priorities.” The embassy further emphasized, “Our relationship with Kosovo is based on a common goal: strengthening peace and stability as a basis for mutual economic prosperity. Unfortunately, recent actions and statements by Caretaker Prime Minister Kurti have posed challenges to progress made over many years.”
Though neither the embassy nor US Chargé d’affaires Anu Pratipatti specified which actions had prompted the suspension, Pratipatti told BIRN that Kurti’s recent moves “have increased instability and uncertainty in Kosovo.” She added, “These actions undermine the political process, weaken Kosovo’s institutions, and exacerbate interethnic tensions.”
The suspension comes against the backdrop of a long-running political deadlock. Seven months after parliamentary elections held in February 2025, Kosovo still lacks a functioning parliament. The governing Self-Determination Movement (Vetevendosje!), led by Kurti, has refused to accept a Serb ethnic minority deputy speaker from the Srpska Lista party, despite Kosovo’s constitution requiring two deputy speakers from ethnic minorities, including one from the Serb community. Srpska Lista, which won nine out of ten minority seats, has repeatedly put forward a candidate, but Kurti’s party has rejected the proposal, citing the party’s close ties to Belgrade and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Kurti’s camp accuses Srpska Lista of creating illegal parallel governing structures in Kosovo’s north, where most ethnic Serbs reside.
This standoff has left Kosovo without a new parliament, preventing lawmakers from voting in a new government and stalling the already fraught normalization talks with Serbia. The impasse has serious implications not only for Kosovo’s domestic governance but also for its international standing, as the US has historically played a pivotal role in the country’s post-war development and security. NATO forces, led by the US, ousted Serbia’s army from Kosovo in 1999, and Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence was recognized by most Western nations—though not by Serbia, Russia, or China.
Government spokesman Perparim Kryeziu defended the administration’s position, insisting that Kosovo’s issue is not with its Serb citizens but with “Serbia’s illegal and parallel structures in Kosovo.” In a public statement, Kryeziu said, “We never have equalized Serb citizens in Kosovo with Serbia’s illegal and parallel structures in Kosovo.” He maintained that the government’s actions “have been in the service of the elimination of instability and guaranteeing sustainable and long-term stability. The stability we enjoy today is a natural result of the rule of law and public order.” Kryeziu also expressed gratitude to the United States, stating, “We are always grateful to the United States for their contribution and engagement to our country and thank them for their support and help to the Kosovo state and our people in many fields. We welcome criticisms, too. Whenever they are concrete, we try to the maximum to improve and correct steps in our actions.”
The US decision has drawn sharp reactions from across Kosovo’s political spectrum. President Vjosa Osmani expressed “deep regret and concern” over the suspension, describing the alliance with the US as “not only a guarantee for the present, but also the safest compass toward the future.” Osmani pledged to work closely with the US to resume the dialogue as soon as possible, emphasizing that the partnership is “an existential part of our state and national identity.” She underscored that “the issue of the alliance with the US is a strategic issue that requires political unity and commitment from everyone in Kosovo,” and that Kosovo’s security is “strongly linked to the support of the United States of America.”
Osmani has a personal stake in the Strategic Dialogue, having initiated the process in 2021 and finalized it in January 2025. She recalled that “the Republic of Kosovo is built on the foundations of unbreakable friendship with the United States of America,” and that “the citizens of Kosovo know that their freedom became a reality with the decisive help of the United States and that without this historic friendship we would never have reached where we are today.”
Opposition leaders have also weighed in. Lumir Abdixhiku, head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), described the suspension as “the lowest point in Kosovo’s relations with our strategic and existential ally.” In a Facebook post, he called for political unity, urging, “It is now time for all of us to come together, end this political madness and build the state we have always deserved – before it is too late for everyone.” Following the US decision, leaders of the opposition parties PDK, LDK, and AAK held a meeting with US representatives at the embassy, though the details of their discussions remain undisclosed.
Outside the political sphere, analysts and legal experts have voiced concern. Constitutional law professor Mazllum Baraliu called the US decision “worrying and disturbing,” stressing that Kosovo’s leaders must treat it seriously and work to repair relations quickly. “This should be taken as an alert as something that should be taken very seriously and repaired as soon as possible and that such relations are not considered normal if there is a strategic dialogue,” Baraliu told KosovaPress.
Eugen Cakolli, an analyst from KDI, highlighted the gravity of the situation, noting that in nearly two decades, the US has suspended or terminated Strategic Dialogue with only four countries: China, Russia, Georgia, and now Kosovo. “Placing Kosovo on the same list as Russia and China, besides being the harshest diplomatic message from the US, is also a major alarm for the country’s international credibility,” Cakolli said. Former ambassador Lulzim Peci attributed the suspension to the “irresponsible politics” of Vetevendosje and Albin Kurti, while analyst Shkëlzen Gashi suggested the US Embassy’s announcement may have political implications related to the ongoing election campaign.
The Strategic Dialogue, a high-level process designed to deepen bilateral relations through cooperation on defense, security, the environment, energy, and economic issues, was seen by many in Kosovo as a crowning achievement. Its suspension, therefore, comes as a profound setback—one that threatens to isolate Kosovo diplomatically at a time when international support is more crucial than ever.
As Kosovo’s leaders grapple with the fallout, the message from Washington is clear: political gridlock, interethnic tension, and institutional paralysis carry real consequences. Whether Kosovo’s political class can rise to the challenge and restore trust with its most important ally remains to be seen, but the stakes—regional stability, democratic progress, and the country’s very security—could hardly be higher.