“Serbia is Russia’s flagship in the Balkans,” Joseph: With Kosovo in NATO, the game is over

The American conflict expert says the Balkans is the hybrid front of Russia’s war against Europe, while the Kosovo model could provide solutions for Donbas in Ukraine.

Renowned American diplomacy and conflict management expert Edward P. Joseph has put forward a proposal that is sparking serious debate in political circles in Washington and across Europe: bringing Serbia into NATO and applying elements of the Kosovo model to the Donbas region in Ukraine, as part of a broader strategy to weaken Russian influence in Europe.

Joseph, currently a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University – SAIS, emphasized that the Balkans is not a peripheral region, but a key node in Russia’s hybrid war against the West.

“Ukraine is the kinetic dimension of the war. The Balkans is the hybrid dimension. And Serbia is the platform through which Russia exerts its influence in the region,” Joseph stated.

According to Joseph, removing Serbia from Moscow’s orbit would have a devastating effect on Russia’s strategy in Southeastern Europe.

“Bringing Serbia into NATO would be like sinking the ‘Moskva’ ship for Russia in the Balkans,” he said, comparing the strategic impact of this move to the symbolic and military loss of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.

He also highlighted that 96 percent of Chinese investments in the Balkans are concentrated in Serbia, while Russia uses Belgrade to block Kosovo and promote its anti-NATO narrative.

Joseph argued that the idea is not theoretical but built on current political realities.

“Serbia is already under pressure due to Russian control over the NIS company. This pressure needs to be accelerated. Belgrade is being forced to break away from Moscow,” he said.

He added that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is facing a deep domestic political crisis, and that such an offer from President Donald Trump, who enjoys popularity in Serbia, would carry significant political weight.

“A NATO pathway proposed by Trump could not simply be ignored by Vučić,” Joseph stated.

Kosovo and NATO: The Game Is Over

A key element of the proposal is that Kosovo would be offered a pathway to NATO regardless of Serbia’s position.

“The moment Kosovo has a pathway to NATO, Serbia’s diplomatic obstruction strategy collapses. The game is practically over,” Joseph emphasized.

He added that NATO membership is far more important for Kosovo than UN membership, drawing a parallel with the Ukrainian experience.

Regarding Ukraine, Joseph proposes applying the Kosovo model under UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which deliberately left the question of Kosovo’s status open.

“The Kosovo model removes sovereignty from the immediate table and creates space for real negotiations,” he explained.

According to him, this would allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to avoid “ceding territory” while placing Donbas under international administration, with peacekeeping forces and a final referendum.

“The irony is that Putin himself insists that Kosovo and Ukraine are absolutely the same. Precisely this argument can be used by the West against him,” Joseph noted.

Joseph warned that if the Balkans is not stabilized, Europe will remain vulnerable to authoritarian interference.

“If you remove the strategic Russia–Serbia partnership, the architecture of Russia’s hybrid war collapses,” he said.

He called for immediate measures, including sanctions on RT and Sputnik, the closure of Russian intelligence centers, and the acceleration of the region’s Euro-Atlantic integration./ TheGeoPost.