A recent claim by Serbian analyst Dušan Janjić suggests that the United States is preparing a document concerning Kosovo and Serbia, reportedly based on information from experts and politicians in Washington. However, Daniel Serwer, a U.S. expert and professor at Johns Hopkins University, expressed skepticism about the claim and the willingness of the Trump administration to actively engage in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.
In an interview with Gazeta Express, Serwer stated:
“Anyone can prepare a paper on anything. Dušan may know this better than I do. I don’t see much hope for the Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue under the current circumstances and leadership.”
Serwer added that while he would be glad to be proven wrong, Kosovo should exercise caution regarding its expectations, as the current U.S. administration appears more focused on projecting power than facilitating genuine dialogue:
“I would be happy to be surprised. But be careful what you wish for. The current U.S. administration seems more interested in power projection than in dialogue.”
He also emphasized that the Western Balkans is low on Washington’s priority list, only receiving attention when President Trump seeks to claim credit for preventing a conflict — which, according to Serwer, has not occurred:
“The Western Balkans is very low on Washington’s priorities these days. The region is only mentioned when the President wants to boast about ending a war that didn’t happen.”
Janjić has maintained his position regarding the U.S. document, sometimes referred to as a “Non-Paper”, noting that his sources include both American experts and members of Congress. He suggested that the document could aim to advance future dialogue and achieve mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia, citing recent U.S. congressional legislation on the Western Balkans as a supportive framework.
While Janjić presents this as a significant development, experts like Serwer caution that expectations should be tempered, especially given the limited political will in Washington to prioritize Balkan diplomacy under the current administration.
