Chief NATO: Stability in Kosovo, in Interest of All in Alliance

He made these comments during his stay in Bratislava, Slovakia, when he was asked in a debate with students about whether he sees the possibility of restarting the conflict in Kosovo, as there have been rumors that the new American policy could lead to their military departure.

Allow me to be perfectly clear from what I understand from the American system is that they are fully committed to NATO and current commitments. But let's see what happens. We can always have little policy changes or adaptations that can happen. Slovaks, Dutch and others are doing this. But I have no reason to believe there will be dramatic decisions. And in general in the Western Balkans we need to be sure that we keep this region focused because stability in Kosovo, stability in Bosnia and stability in Serbia is in the interest of all of us”, Rutte replied.

NATO has peacekeeping missions in Kosovo since the war ended. Currently, within KFOR are more than 4,600 troops from 28 countries in the world who are deployed in Kosovo. The largest number is from Italy, followed by the United States of America, Hungary and Turkey.

NATO added its presence in Kosovo during 2023, following increasing tensions in the Serb-run north.

KFOR is the third security reacter in Kosovo, following Kosovo Police and the European Union's mission of rule of law, E ULEX. This mission, among other things, is responsible for the security of the border line between Kosovo and Serbia.