Former U.S. diplomat Daniel Serwer says the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue remains at a complete standstill, primarily due to Belgrade’s lack of political will, despite Pristina’s readiness to implement previous agreements. He called on the European Union and the United States to increase pressure on Serbia and help unblock Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
Although international officials have pledged to revive the normalization process this year, no concrete progress has been made. Serwer noted that after nearly a decade without meaningful advancement, further progress is unlikely unless Serbia demonstrates genuine political commitment.
“It would be difficult to expect progress after what has essentially been ten years without any real advancement. I was never a supporter of the Brussels or Ohrid agreements. I don’t believe they were genuine agreements. Serbia never seriously committed to implementing them. It neither signed them nor made any clear commitment. Therefore, expecting progress would be unreasonable. Do I hope for progress? Of course. But Aleksandar Vučić has made it very clear that he is not particularly interested. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango,” Serwer said.
He stressed that Kosovo should continue acting as a constructive partner and closely coordinate with both the European Union and the United States to keep the dialogue process alive.
According to Serwer, the EU has already begun adjusting its approach toward Kosovo, recognizing that imposing punitive measures on Pristina was a mistake, while Serbia has consistently failed to act constructively.
“I believe the European Union has already changed its approach to some extent. Europeans have realized they made a mistake by imposing measures against Kosovo several years ago. Those measures have now been eased. They also understand that Belgrade has been highly unconstructive. I also hope the United States adopts a firmer stance toward Belgrade. Washington has treated Serbia too softly, partly because of efforts to reduce Russian influence there. However, we have not been tough enough on issues such as corruption or the dialogue itself. In the future, we need a much firmer approach toward Belgrade,” he stated.
Speaking about Kosovo–U.S. relations, Serwer emphasized that Kosovo has strengthened its international standing through its participation in international peace initiatives, including the Peace Board, as well as by contributing troops to Gaza, demonstrating its commitment as a responsible international partner.
