President Donald Trump has signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act—a record nearly $1 trillion defense budget—which notably includes Kosovo. The law underscores Kosovo’s strategic importance in the Western Balkans and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to peace, stability, democracy, and economic development in the region.
The document identifies Kosovo as one of six key Western Balkan states, emphasizing that its stability is directly linked to European security and U.S. strategic interests.
Highlights of the law include:
- Authorization of $901 billion in annual military spending, $8 billion more than requested by Trump.
- Support for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, recognizing the 2023 normalization agreement as positive and insisting that final solutions must be based on mutual recognition, explicitly opposing any territorial division or exchange along ethnic lines.
- Endorsement of NATO expansion in the Western Balkans, including Kosovo’s prospective membership, as well as its EU integration.
- Continued U.S. support for democratic reforms, rule of law, economic development, foreign investment, and institution-building in the region.
- Measures to monitor and counter malign influence from Russia and China, including cybersecurity support, from which Kosovo will benefit.
This comprehensive legislation also regulates procurement of ships, aircraft, and missile systems, troop pay raises, and strategies for addressing geopolitical threats, reflecting a bipartisan compromise between the House and Senate.
Kosovo’s inclusion in this landmark U.S. law highlights its growing strategic significance and strengthens its security and development prospects in the Western Balkans.
