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NATO chief's visit to Kosovo, REL: Reconfirmation of the presence of European forces in the country, despite any movement by American forces

2025-03-10 16:50:50 / KOSOVA ALFA PRESS

NATO chief's visit to Kosovo, REL: Reconfirmation of the presence of

The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mark Rutte, is expected to use his visit to Pristina, on March 11, to offer guarantees that the European contingent within the alliance's mission in Kosovo, KFOR, will remain there, regardless of any movement of American military forces.

So says Ivan Vejvoda, a researcher at the Institute for Humanities in Vienna, according to whom Mark Rutte's visit to Kosovo is now very important, considering the geopolitical situation, the new American administration, Russia's continued war in Ukraine, and "rumors - whether founded or not - that the United States is reconsidering its position in NATO."

Add to this "the fact that, as the Americans say, there is still unfinished business in the Balkans," Vejvoda said in an interview with Radio Free Europe.

The issue of reconsidering the US position in Europe has begun to circulate since statements made by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in February, when he said that Europeans cannot expect the US military presence on the continent to last forever, while calling on Europeans to increase defense spending.

Even US President Donald Trump has called for Europeans to pay more in this sector, raising questions about whether they would now be able to defend the US, as NATO's Article 5 requires.

The US has around 100,000 troops in Europe, of which 600 are stationed in Kosovo, as part of KFOR, which has a total of around 4,600 members.

The US Department of Defense told Radio Free Europe a few days ago that for now there are no planned changes in terms of the positioning of their forces.

Vejvoda also does not believe that US troops can leave Kosovo, at least in the next six months. He thinks that KFOR would function stably even without the American presence.

NATO chief Rutte himself said days ago that stability in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia is in the interest of everyone in the Western military alliance, and that he sees no reason to believe that there could be any dramatic change in terms of American commitment to NATO.

Rutte's visit to Kosovo follows his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 10, where he gave the message that the alliance will not allow "the hard-won peace to be jeopardized."

"We are not in 1992 and we will not allow any security vacuum to be created. I know that EUFOR [European Union Force] is fully prepared to guarantee a stable security environment," Rutte said, referring to the period when the war broke out in the country.

He also stated that NATO fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia, and that the Dayton Agreement – ​​which ended the fighting in 1995 – is the foundation that must be respected.

On March 7, EUFOR announced that it would temporarily increase the number of its members, as a preventive measure, following increased tensions in the country.

The EU force has about 1,000 members in the country and has replaced the NATO mission, SFOR, since 2004.

The need for coordination with allies

Kosovo aims for NATO membership and its leaders constantly call for the country's steps towards the alliance to be accelerated.

While the path to membership could potentially be long – due to the fact that some member states do not recognize Kosovo's statehood – Vejvoda mentions the importance of cooperation with allies, and calls on Balkan countries, especially Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be heard.

"We recall the words of former US Assistant Secretary of State Jim O'Brien, who said that 'he who does not cooperate with allies will not move forward'. This warning is still valid now, that if Kosovo wants to have intensified relations with the US and the new administration, it must listen carefully, just like the entire region," says Vejvoda.

He also recalls the visit of former head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, who is said to have issued warnings to Pristina, Belgrade and Sarajevo, urging the leaders of these countries not to escalate the situation.

"Perhaps the message could have been not to make unilateral decisions and if decisions need to be made in these countries, they should be in coordination with allies," says Vejvoda.

Although KFOR is the third guarantor of security in Kosovo, its presence is considered vital, especially in the northern part of the country where it patrols the border with Serbia.

Former commander of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), Kadri Kastrati, told Radio Free Europe a few days ago that the country is currently unable to defend itself, although the KSF is in the process of transforming into a regular army, and has recently increased defense spending.

The budget for the Ministry of Defense in Kosovo will be 207.8 million euros in 2025, or 54 million euros more than the previous year. /REL

 

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