Pristina, Kosovo – June 19, 2025 – Daniel Serwer, an American professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins University, has sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s claims that he prevented a war between Kosovo and Serbia.
In a post published Sunday on the “Truth Social” platform, Trump asserted that he had averted an armed conflict between the two countries during his term. However, Serwer dismisses this statement as untrue and warns that Trump’s continued involvement in Balkan affairs could lead to even more severe consequences.
Trump’s “Tendency for Kosovo’s Division”
“Any attempt he makes now could cause even more damage, due to his tendency for the division of Kosovo,” Serwer wrote.
According to Serwer, the Balkans have been agitated precisely because Trump has mentioned the region, and, under scenarios being considered in the former U.S. president’s circle, a territory exchange agreement between Kosovo and Serbia might be proposed.
“His whisperer for the Balkans, Ric Grenell, thinks this is a great idea. He will offer it as a territory exchange. The Serb-majority north of Kosovo would go to Serbia, and the Albanian-majority municipalities in southern Serbia would go to Kosovo. It sounds nice, especially if you are an ethnic nationalist. Trump and Grenell are dedicated ethnic nationalists of the white supremacist type,” Serwer wrote.
However, Serwer argues that this plan is not even acceptable to Serbia. “They prefer to keep all of southern Serbia, where a key road to Thessaloniki and the Mediterranean passes. That’s why Belgrade is doing everything possible to remove Albanians from there,” Serwer emphasized.
He explicitly warns that Kosovo should not enter into any discussions regarding territory exchange. “Prime Minister Kurti, or his successor, would do well not to allow any discussion of exchange on the agenda,” Serwer advised.
Skepticism on Trump’s Capability and Dialogue Effectiveness
The American professor stated that even a fully capable U.S. president would currently find it difficult to deal with the Balkans, while a president like Trump, according to him, is incapable of offering solutions. “A misguided president like Trump can do nothing but take credit for things he hasn’t done and promise more. But he is failing everywhere: Gaza, Iran, Ukraine, and trade are all in chaos,” he wrote.
In this context, Serwer urged the parties in the Balkans not to seek assistance from figures like Trump or Grenell. “Neither Serbia nor Kosovo needs help from people like Ric Grenell or Donald Trump,” he stressed.
Serwer also expressed skepticism about the ongoing political dialogue mediated by the EU, calling it unsuccessful. “The entire political dialogue since 2013 has produced little or no results. The technical dialogue that preceded this effort produced much more: a telephone code for Kosovo, mutual recognition of documents, regulation of electricity payments, and integrated border control – these have been real achievements for citizens,” Serwer wrote.
According to him, Belgrade must find a way to restart the EU membership process, which includes implementing the agreement reached in 2023, which Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has refused to sign.
Finally, Serwer called on the EU to expedite the lifting of sanctions against Kosovo. “Kosovo is still suffering under unjustified EU sanctions for actions no one remembers. Brussels has started the process of lifting them and should complete it as soon as possible,” he concluded.
