Zelensky’s Statement from Belgrade, Rama: Ukraine Is Wrong on Kosovo, but Its Right to Be Free Remains Indisputable

In a post on X, Prime Minister Edi Rama responded to a statement made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Belgrade that Kyiv’s position on recognizing Kosovo remained unchanged.

The prime minister criticized voices in Albania and Kosovo that, according to him, called for a change in their stance toward Ukraine because of its position on Kosovo.

Rama described as misguided the idea that support for a country should be conditional on its political positions.

“Within an hour, the loudest folkloric nationalists in Tirana and Pristina had already pulled out their geopolitical calculators: perhaps we should punish Ukraine, stop cheering for freedom and stop mourning those being bombed. The most reckless among them even attacked us for not abandoning Ukraine. Some even cheered for Russia!” he wrote.

Rama said Albania would continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, adding that standing up for freedom and peace is not a transactional relationship between two countries.

He added that Ukraine is wrong on the issue of Kosovo, but that, in his view, does not diminish the Ukrainian people’s right to be free.

“Ukraine may be, and yes, is, wrong on Kosovo, but its right to be free remains indisputable, and fighting for that right means fighting for Europe and for ourselves as well. These truths can quite easily stand in the same sentence. Albania is mature enough to uphold both, and it will uphold both,” Rama added.

Rama’s response:

My dear friend Volodymyr Zelensky was in Belgrade and said that Ukraine would never recognize Kosovo. Within an hour, the loudest folkloric nationalists in Tirana and Pristina had already pulled out their geopolitical calculators: perhaps we should punish Ukraine, stop cheering for freedom and stop mourning those being bombed. The most reckless among them even attacked us for not abandoning Ukraine. Some even cheered for Russia!

What a shame to lose sight of the simple truth that freedom is not a transactional relationship.

Standing against a war of aggression and in support of a just peace is not a bill you tear up when the victim of barbaric aggression disappoints you. It is not one favor exchanged for another, but rather who you are and what you stand for in this troubled world. And fortunately, Albania is not a petty person keeping score of who owes what to whom, but the Europe of the Balkans, leading the way through its faith in freedom, democracy and peace, as well as through the power of its example.

Ukraine may be, and yes, is, wrong on Kosovo, but its right to be free remains indisputable, and fighting for that right means fighting for Europe and for ourselves as well. These truths can quite easily stand in the same sentence. Albania is mature enough to uphold both, and it will uphold both.

Therefore, yes: FREE UKRAINE. Today, tomorrow and always.