Konjufca Responds to Zelenskyy After His Visit to Belgrade: Kosovo Is an Independent and Sovereign State, Not Part of Serbia

Glauk Konjufca, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, has responded to statements made in Belgrade by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who reaffirmed that Ukraine does not recognize Kosovo’s independence.

In a response posted on the X platform, Konjufca expressed regret over this position and recalled that Kosovo has unequivocally supported Ukraine since the first day of Russia’s full-scale aggression.

He also underscored the difference between Kosovo’s and Serbia’s positions toward Russia. According to him, Kosovo has imposed sanctions on Russia, while Serbia has not joined the European Union’s punitive measures adopted in response to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

In his full post, Konjufca said that President Zelenskyy’s statement in Belgrade, reiterating Ukraine’s non-recognition of the Republic of Kosovo, had been received with regret.

He emphasized that Kosovo has stood firmly alongside Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression. Konjufca listed Kosovo’s condemnation of the invasion, its full alignment with the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), the imposition of sanctions on Russia and Belarus, the provision of humanitarian assistance and shelter for Ukrainian journalists, as well as support through military aid and training for Ukraine’s defense.

According to Konjufca, Kosovo took these steps even though Ukraine continues not to recognize its statehood, because solidarity with a people fighting to defend its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity is a matter of principle.

He called for another fundamental distinction to be kept in mind: Kosovo has implemented sanctions against Russia, while Serbia has not aligned itself with the EU sanctions imposed over Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Konjufca emphasized that the Republic of Kosovo is a sovereign and independent state, created as a result of its people’s struggle for freedom and its liberation in 1999, following years of systematic repression and the genocidal campaign waged by the Milošević regime.

According to him, the developments that followed did not constitute annexation, occupation or the seizure of territory. They were part of a broad international process conducted under United Nations administration, as well as years of internationally mediated negotiations to determine Kosovo’s final status.

After the talks had exhausted every possibility of reaching a mutual agreement, UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari proposed independence as Kosovo’s final status. At the same time, he presented a comprehensive framework for the new state that included some of Europe’s most extensive constitutional guarantees for non-majority communities.

On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared independence, marking the culmination of this political and historical journey. It assumed the responsibilities of a democratic and multiethnic state and entered a period of internationally supervised independence.

In 2010, the International Court of Justice found that Kosovo’s declaration of independence had not violated international law. International supervision, meanwhile, formally ended in 2012.

Konjufca recalled that the Republic of Kosovo today is recognized by the overwhelming majority of NATO and EU member states, while its statehood has been built on democracy, human rights, peace and the goal of Euro-Atlantic integration.

For this reason, according to him, Russia’s claims portraying Kosovo as a precedent or justification for the invasion, occupation or attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory are false both historically and legally. Konjufca emphasized that there is no parallel between the two cases.

He assured that Kosovo would continue to unwaveringly support Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

At the same time, Konjufca respectfully but firmly opposed any attempt to view the Republic of Kosovo through the lens of Serbia’s territorial integrity.

In conclusion, he said Kosovo would welcome recognition from Ukraine, noting that such a step would strengthen the principles of freedom, democracy and international law that Ukraine is defending today.