FLASH
Shkruar nga Michael Martens
The German newspaper " Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung " devotes a critical analysis to the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, presenting her as a political actor who, faced with a lack of domestic support, is seeking to secure re-election through demonstrative proximity to Donald Trump. According to the newspaper, this approach does not take place in a vacuum. In the background, the role of the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, also appears, who, through his connections with the Trump circle, is suspected of having facilitated Osmani's rapprochement with the American president, using this as part of his open rivalry with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti.
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Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani is trying to secure a second term by publicly siding with Trump. This strategy, however, may backfire, even though she managed to include Kosovo in Donald Trump’s so-called “Peace Board” in Davos.
Osmani appeared in Switzerland alongside the US president and then presented this as a major achievement, emphasizing that Kosovo became a founding member of this mechanism. According to unofficial sources in Pristina, she took this step without consulting Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Instead, the mediation was allegedly done by the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama. Rama has built ties with the Trump family after giving the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a contract for a multi-billion dollar real estate project on the Albanian coast. Rama has a bad relationship with Kurti, the most popular politician among Balkan Albanians, and according to political sources, he uses every opportunity to strengthen Osmani as a counterweight to him.
She is playing her game.
Osmani’s term ends in March. She is seeking a second term and needs the votes of the Kosovo Assembly, which elects the president. She does not have that support. In recent years, Osmani has failed to build a stable parliamentary base. In Pristina, she is described as a difficult figure in personal relationships. Several close associates, including former chief of staff Blerim Vela, quickly left her circle.
To compensate for the lack of domestic support, Osmani has been trying for weeks to present herself as “Trump’s candidate.” Her calculation relies on the historical and current weight of the United States in Kosovo, from the Bondsteel military base in the south of the country to the decisive role of the US in the creation of the state. According to a source with strong connections in Pristina, Osmani conveys to the deputies the message that she enjoys the support of Trump’s inner circle and that her failure to be re-elected could have consequences for relations with Washington.
Without the US, the state of Kosovo would not exist.
Such a calculation might have worked years ago. Kosovars’ respect for the United States remains extraordinary. The American-led NATO intervention in 1999 ended Serbian control of Kosovo. Even the declaration of independence in 2008 was made possible only with American support. Kosovars remain deeply pro-American. But they are also aware that Donald Trump’s Washington is no longer Bill Clinton’s or George W. Bush’s Washington.
This was evidenced in the December parliamentary elections, when Albin Kurti and the Vetevendosje Movement won 51.1 percent of the vote. The elections were held without serious irregularities and the result was immediately accepted by the opposition. Diaspora support played a role, but it was not the only determining factor.
Kurti's success despite clash with Trump
The dominance of Vetëvendosje is particularly significant because Kurti’s relationship with Trump is tense. Kurti publicly supported Joe Biden during the US campaign and attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024. After Trump returned to power, this was reflected negatively in US-Kosovo relations. In September, the Trump administration suspended the strategic dialogue with Kosovo indefinitely. The US embassy in Pristina mentioned Kurti directly, stating that his actions and statements had called into question the progress achieved over the years.
Opposition parties used this during the campaign, warning that Kurti was jeopardizing relations with Kosovo's main security ally. The election results showed that this rhetoric no longer has the impact it once did. An absolute majority of voters continue to trust Kurti, who is perceived as honest and uncorrupted.
What Kosovo Gains from Trump's "Peace Board"
This makes the success of Osmani's maneuvers uncertain. In an interview with the BBC, she defended the importance of membership in the "Peace Board", criticizing the former role of the United Nations in Kosovo and emphasizing that only American intervention brought concrete action. She stated that Kosovo trusts in the leadership of the United States.
Osmani did not clearly answer the question of whether Kosovo would pay the $1 billion fee that Trump is demanding for permanent membership in this structure. For a country of about 1.6 million inhabitants, this remains a crucial issue.
Reactions in Kosovo after Davos were mixed. Many citizens and political actors stressed that Kosovo cannot afford a clash with Washington. Any threat to withdraw troops from Bondsteel is seen as an existential threat to the country's security. Across party lines, the American base is seen as a guarantee against a return of the Serbian army.
During Trump's first term, the threat to close Bondsteel was openly articulated after Kurti rejected the deal brokered by special envoy Richard Grenell. Kurti's first government collapsed in this climate of pressure. For this reason, some voices in Kosovo see Osman's actions as realpolitik.
However, not all of her actions were well-received. Her husband, diplomat Prindon Sadriu,'s proposal to transform Pristina's former "Grand Hotel" into a "Trump Hotel" was met with public ridicule.
Awkward movement
Even more critical reactions were prompted by Osman’s decision to organize an official reception for the premiere in Pristina of the documentary “Melania.” The film was promoted as a bold portrayal of the American presidential family and Melania Trump’s leadership. Many Kosovars described the president’s statements as unnecessary or servile.
Criticism has increased due to the inconsistency with Osmani's feminist agenda, at a time when new documents are emerging from the archives related to Jeffrey Epstein. The documentary's director, Brett Ratner, has had documented ties to Epstein, which has further added to the controversy surrounding this initiative. /Pamphlet
Shtupa e halese ne fillim na u duk si patriteshe dhe doli që ka punuar për rotenone e bythes se vet. Kur plakesh të duken të gjitha qeniet njerezore të ndyre por , keta të politikes janë më të qelbur nga të gjithe.