Media: Trump and Putin have reached an agreement on partition of Kosovo
In a summit in Helsinki, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached an agreement on a possible partition of the breakaway state of Kosovo, reports Gazeta Ekspres, citing diplomatic sources.
According to these sources, the Trump administration has agreed that Kosovo should cede territory, particularly in the northern regions, to Serbia in exchange for recognition.
“It is clear that the Trump administration is of one mind with Russia when it comes to the partition of Kosovo,” Gazeta Ekspres writes.
The American leader’s drastic change in policy comes after the resignation of National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster and his replacement by John Bolton, who, according to the newspaper, has been known for his anti-Kosovo approach since he served as US Ambassador to the United Nations.
“There is a possibility that an exchange of territory will be discussed. But the end of this drama will be that Kosovo, or the part that remains of it, will be considered a province of Albania,” says a source.
The EU has been in negotiations about Serbia’s admission into the Union since 2014, but Brussels has remained firm that no future member of the EU can be engaged in territorial or border disputes.
Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, which was declared in 2008. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić insists that any future settlement with Kosovo must involve a compromise and likely a referendum.