James Rubin, former U.S. Undersecretary of State and top aide to Madeleine Albright, has begun giving testimony as a witness for the defense of Hashim Thaçi, tracing back to the early period of American involvement in the Balkans during the outbreak of wars in the former Yugoslavia.
Rubin recalled that he first visited Kosovo during the time of the war in Croatia and Sarajevo, noting that being aware such conflicts could spread further, he also visited Kosovo and met “once or twice” with former President Ibrahim Rugova.
“I visited in 1991, 1992, 1993, before the Croatia-Serbia war, and later visited Sarajevo during attacks and the Bosnian war. I was in several cities and also accompanied Senator Biden in the spring of 1993.
During the wars in Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia, these were the primary focuses. Being aware that such conflicts could extend further, we realized that what was happening in Kosovo was important. I visited Pristina 2–3 times and met once or twice with Rugova,” Rubin stated.
His testimony highlights the early U.S. diplomatic engagement in the region and offers context for the defense’s perspective in Thaçi’s ongoing proceedings.
