The Pan-Albanian Federation of America “VATRA” has called on U.S. President Donald J. Trump to take diplomatic action regarding the ongoing trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
In a letter addressed to President Trump, VATRA Chairman Dr. Elmi Berisha urged U.S. involvement, describing the proceedings against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi as a politically motivated process that risks damaging Kosovo’s historical narrative and weakening the partnership between Kosovo and the United States.
Berisha argued that the 1998–1999 war in Kosovo was not a conflict between equal sides, but a campaign of ethnic persecution carried out by Slobodan Milošević’s regime against Kosovo Albanians, while the KLA emerged as a resistance force seeking to protect the civilian population.
The letter highlights the thousands of Albanian civilian victims, widespread displacement, and wartime suffering, arguing that the prosecution of former KLA leaders risks overshadowing the crimes committed against Kosovo Albanians and harming the memory of victims.
VATRA also emphasized Kosovo’s close relationship with the United States, describing Kosovo as one of America’s strongest supporters in the world. Berisha claimed that the Hague process has been exploited by Serbia and Russia as a tool for political propaganda against Kosovo’s statehood and U.S. influence in the Balkans.
Referencing Trump’s previous engagement in the region, including the 2020 Washington Agreement and Kosovo’s diplomatic achievements, Berisha called on the U.S. president to use American influence to address what he considers an injustice against Kosovo’s former leaders.
The letter concludes by stating that defending one’s homeland from destruction should never be treated as a crime and calls for greater U.S. attention toward the case of the former KLA leadership.
