In a comprehensive review of expert opinions, the influential magazine Foreign Policy argues that the Kosovo conflict and its resolution could serve as a precedent for achieving peace between Ukraine and Russia.
Citing American professor Edward Joseph, Foreign Policy suggests that Ukraine could defer the issue of sovereignty over Russian-occupied eastern territories, in a manner similar to how Kosovo’s status was addressed under UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
According to the analysis, Ukrainian-controlled parts of the Donbas could potentially be placed under an international military presence, comparable to the model applied in Kosovo—albeit under very different circumstances. However, experts stress that a major obstacle for Ukraine remains Russia’s refusal to withdraw from occupied territories.
Professor Joseph further argued that Russia’s involvement in Resolution 1244 for Kosovo may indicate that a similar international framework could be attractive to Vladimir Putin in the context of Ukraine.
Despite these arguments, Ukrainian analysts strongly reject comparisons with Kosovo. Volodymyr Horbach, a researcher at a Ukrainian think tank, emphasized that Ukraine cannot be equated with Kosovo, noting that Kosovo’s conflict was ethnic in nature and did not involve occupation by a foreign state, as Kosovo was formally part of Yugoslavia at the time.
Meanwhile, Ulf Brunnbauer, Director of the Leibniz Institute, highlighted a key distinction between international involvement in Kosovo and Ukraine. He noted that Kosovars accepted a temporary foreign presence knowing that self-governance would follow, whereas Serbia ultimately accepted Kosovo’s separation—a concession Russia is not under comparable pressure to make regarding Ukraine.
Overall, international relations experts assess that certain elements of the Kosovo case could inform peace negotiations in Ukraine, but caution that Russia’s unwillingness to retreat from seized territories makes the situation significantly more complex.
