A day after meeting with Vučić in Belgrade, the Ukrainian president said Kyiv's position on not recognizing Kosovo remains unchanged, sparking strong reactions and a symbolic move in Pristina.
The large Ukrainian flag, which had been displayed on a building in central Pristina since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022 as a sign of solidarity, was removed on Sunday, August 9, 2026. The move came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated during a visit to Belgrade that Kyiv's stance on Kosovo remains unchanged, namely that it does not recognize it.
Pristina's mayor, Perparim Rama, posted a video of the flag's removal on Facebook with the message: "Kosovo must be respected." In a lengthy post, he emphasized that the empathy and solidarity of Pristina's citizens always stand with peoples facing war, but that no goal can be built by belittling Kosovo's statehood.
On Saturday, August 8, Zelensky met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at the Palace of Serbia. After the meeting, the Ukrainian leader told reporters: "It is true that we had extremely, completely frank conversations, and we talked about many things that are not for the public, and it is important that we have a vision of partnership. We respect the territorial integrity of our partners, that is our position. Our stance on Kosovo remains unchanged. We are grateful to our partners for respecting our territorial integrity, including Crimea."
It was this confirmation of the status quo that triggered an avalanche of reactions among Kosovar officials and Albanian politicians. Former President and Foreign Minister of Kosovo Bedžet Pacoli responded on platform X (formerly Twitter) with sharp criticism: "Mr. Zelensky, you stated in Belgrade that Ukraine's position on Kosovo has not changed. That is an undeserved and hostile stance towards Kosovo. Kosovo sincerely sympathizes with Ukraine and painfully experiences the suffering of the Ukrainian people. If that is your gratitude to Kosovo for its solidarity."
Albania's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ditmir Bušati, assessed that Zelensky's visit to Serbia should be viewed in the context of Ukraine's existential struggle, but added that the Ukrainian president "could have shown greater appreciation for Ukrainian partners in Southeast Europe, including Kosovo, which has stood firmly with Ukraine."
The removal of the flag was also initiated by the "kos_data" profile on platform X, which sources describe as propagandistic. The symbolic act of removing the flag, which had stood on the building in Pristina since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, marked a tangible peak of discontent.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, while inspecting works on the Old Railway Bridge in Belgrade, commented on the reactions from Pristina. "Pristina has reacted so far most strongly against Zelensky. In Pristina, there is a general witch hunt against him," Vučić noted. He also posed a rhetorical question: "Just think what the result would have been if Zelensky had come and said 'yes, Kosovo is Serbia.' Have Albanians suffered a heavier blow in the last 14 years?"
Referring to the difficult position of Serbs in Kosovo, Vučić said that Serbia is doing everything it can to ease a life that is "terribly difficult" and announced concrete steps. "Soon, we have already invited experts from the construction sector and engineers, since they are harassing our people so much, we have various reasons for changing the course of the Ibar River. So let's see what the Albanians will do and how they will behave. We are a sovereign country, sometimes we have such interests, sometimes such, and we will act accordingly," Vučić said.
