A diplomatic fallout between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and former U.S. President Donald Trump during a White House meeting on Friday has drawn a muted response from most Balkan leaders, with only the president of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska publicly commenting.
Montenegro’s President Jakov Milanović reaffirmed his country’s support for a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine” in a social media post but refrained from addressing the dispute directly. Prime Minister Milojko Spajić has not issued any statements on the matter.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and President Bajram Begaj have also remained silent, as have Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. In North Macedonia, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski have yet to comment, as they are currently on an official visit to Turkey, where they met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova has also made no public remarks.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Miloš Vučević have not weighed in on the controversy.
The only reaction from Bosnia and Herzegovina came from the president of Republika Srpska, who praised Trump as a “strong leader” and criticized Zelenskiy. In a statement, he said Trump demonstrated “supreme responsibility and statesmanship,” while Zelenskiy was merely “an unfit actor playing a role written by someone else.” He added that Trump’s leadership offered “rationality, stability, and strength” while accusing Zelenskiy of engaging in war propaganda.
The White House meeting, originally expected to reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia, instead exposed sharp divisions. A joint press conference was abruptly canceled after what sources described as a heated exchange between the two leaders, fueling speculation about the state of U.S.-Ukraine relations.