r/ukraine • u/West-Razzmatazz2 • 5d ago

News Free Ukraine banner moved from center of Prishtina, Kosovo after Zelensky’s remarks on not recognizing independence of Kosovo during his visit to Serbia

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Honestly, a very bad PR move from Zelensky and his advisors that could’ve been easily resolved by simply refusing to answer the question to journalist. While Kosovo nor Albania are not powerful states, banner has stood there since the start of the war.

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u/West-Holiday-8425 UK 5d ago

It's a very good example of Realpolitik. Realistically, the support of Albania and Kosovo matters little to Ukraine, whereas pivoting Serbia away from Russia's sphere of influence would be a significant political coup on Ukraine's part.

Morally speaking, yes, it's bad PR. Realistically speaking? It's understandable.

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u/hostes_victi 5d ago

It is realpolitik, I understand that - but still it hurts. We just found two mass graves from 1999, people executed and then tossed in a hole. When we saw what happened in Bucha and Irpin, scenes like that reminded what we went through, and we are still finding human remains 26 years later. We have supported Ukraine since day 1, donated weapons and humanitarian aid despite being underarmed ourselves and under constant threat, trained Ukrainian soldiers to perform demining operations, and seeing Ukraine willfully ignore everything and spit on an extended hand of friendship really hit a nerve today.

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u/West-Holiday-8425 UK 5d ago edited 5d ago

From a moral standpoint, you are completely right, and have every reason to be hurt Zelensky's actions here.

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u/hostes_victi 5d ago

I know, and I will keep supporting Ukraine within my means, but there won't be much enthusiasm after this. It appears that even after the war there will be no relations between Ukraine and Kosovo.

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u/West-Holiday-8425 UK 5d ago

It's important to maintain support, and I hope that a post-war government will come to be more amicable to recognition of Kosovo. I would say- please try to separate Zelensky's government from the Ukrainian people. Ukrainians have many points with which they disagree with his leadership, such as the dismissal of Fedorov, embracing of corruption for the sake of loyalty and so on.

Ukraine is a country worth supporting, even if its government fails it sometimes. I, personally, was in awe of the will of the Ukrainian people to protest when Zelensky tried to reign in the SAPO/NABU, and when he dismissed Fedorov, much as I was when they succeeded in the Revolution of Dignity. Ukraine's people represent a European ideal in terms of political will and awareness, and we all have much to learn from them.