Prime Minister Edi Rama’s stance in the debate over Ukraine’s non-recognition of Kosovo has prompted a strong reaction from Melazim Koci. The head of the Albanian government had criticized voices in Albania and Kosovo that, following statements made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Belgrade, called for a reassessment of Albanian support for Ukraine, portraying them as part of a “geopolitical calculator.”
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In a Facebook post, Koci stressed that objections to Zelensky do not mean abandoning Ukraine or siding with Russia. According to him, the reactions are directly related to the Ukrainian president’s position on Kosovo. He accused Rama of sidestepping the main issue and labeling as “Albanian nationalists” those who opposed Zelensky’s statements on Kosovo’s independence, “Bota sot” reports.
Koci also demanded explanations for Kosovo’s absence from the two most recent “Ukraine–Southeast Europe” summits, while calling on Rama to clearly state where he stands on Kyiv’s policy toward Kosovo.
Full reaction:
Edi Rama provokes again while pretending not to hear Zelensky’s scandalous statements!
………
This time, Edi Rama has once again apparently identified “the most vocal nationalists in Tirana and Pristina” because of their reactions to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he calls “my friend.” Rama claims that these people called for “abandoning Ukraine” and that some of them even “cheered for Russia.”
This is one of the greatest falsehoods Edi Rama could possibly utter.
Ukraine’s just and heroic war against brutal Russian aggression has hardly had, does not have, and will not have anywhere in the world more powerful support than that given to it in Albania and Kosovo.
However, this is not Volodymyr Zelensky’s personal war. Last year, President Trump called him a “dictator” and threw him out of the White House. I do not recall whether Edi Rama defended his friend Zelensky at the time and whether, for that reason, he described President Trump as a “nationalist.”
Rama must understand that those he calls “Albanian nationalists” could not remain silent, because Zelensky targeted the West’s 36-year policy on Kosovo even more than he targeted Pristina.
The problem is not that Ukraine does not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Because of the war Ukraine is facing, no one has asked Zelensky to take such a step.
What Edi Rama either fails to understand or does not wish to acknowledge is that Zelensky’s statements in Belgrade challenged the fundamental principles of NATO, the US, the EU and the ICJ regarding Kosovo.
In Belgrade, Zelensky said that “Kosovo’s independence was declared unilaterally.” Rama and his friend should know that Kosovo’s statehood was the result of a lengthy diplomatic process and talks held in Vienna, in which the main international actors participated.
Zelensky further stated that, by refusing to recognize Kosovo, he is defending “international law.”
The Albanian prime minister and his friend should be aware that, in 2010, the International Court of Justice found that Kosovo’s declaration of independence had not violated international law.
Therefore, it is Volodymyr Zelensky, Rama’s friend, who holds a position contrary to the interpretation given by the ICJ.
Which parties did Rama’s friend attack with these assertions?
In addition to Kosovo, he attacked none other than NATO, the US, the EU and the ICJ. These are, word for word, the arguments and positions that Russia, China and Serbia have used for years.
Edi Rama should not show solidarity with those who undermine the basic principles of the Western world and who, by relying on these arguments, seek to delegitimize Kosovo’s independence, even when the person involved is his friend Zelensky. Those who have pursued such anti-Western policies have not ended well.
Instead of making fabricated accusations against “Albanian nationalists,” Rama should explain why Kyiv unilaterally excluded Kosovo from the two most recent “Ukraine–Southeast Europe” summits, held in Odesa on June 11, 2025, and in Kyiv on July 15, 2026.
Kosovo had participated in the three preceding summits, held in Dubrovnik, Tirana and Athens.
Has Edi Rama ever asked his friend Zelensky why Kosovo was excluded from these two meetings?
Would it not have been more dignified to tell him: “Since you excluded Kosovo from the meetings in Odesa and Kyiv at Vučić’s request, Albania will not participate either”?
He did not do so, and that does him no credit.
Even less creditworthy is his invention of “Albanian nationalists,” whose only “sin” was defending Kosovo’s dignity in the face of the scandalous statements and petty calculations of his friend, Volodymyr Zelensky.
If Edi Rama believes that defending Zelensky has brought him any benefit in the West, then his calculation is entirely wrong.
Why?
Because Zelensky’s positions on Kosovo are fully aligned with those of Serbia, Russia and China. Rama must distance himself unequivocally from these anti-Kosovo and anti-Western positions. Otherwise, knowingly or unknowingly, he risks becoming complicit in legitimizing them.
This is precisely what the people Rama labels “Albanian nationalists” have done: they have distanced themselves from Zelensky’s views, which are identical to those of Russia, China and Serbia.
It is now up to Edi Rama to tell us openly: which side is he on?
