Pristina Removes Ukraine Flag After Zelensky's Remarks
The Ukraine flag that had flown over a building in central Pristina since the war began came down a day after Volodymyr Zelensky reaffirmed in Belgrade that Kyiv's stance on Kosovo has not changed.
A large Ukraine flag came down on Saturday, August 9, from the Grand Hotel building in central Pristina, just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in Belgrade that Kyiv’s position on Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence remains unchanged. Pristina mayor Perparim Rama posted footage of the removal on social media, along with a message insisting that the state of Kosovo must be respected. In Belgrade, the director of the Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, responded the same day.
The flag had hung on that facade since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, close to four years. It was one of the most visible symbols of Pristina’s support for Kyiv and part of a broader effort by the Pristina leadership to tie its own status to Ukraine’s resistance. It took less than 24 hours for that symbol to disappear.
What Zelensky Said in Belgrade
Zelensky arrived in Belgrade on August 8 for his first visit to Serbia, and at a press conference was asked directly about Ukraine’s position on Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence. He answered without hedging.
We respect the territorial integrity of our partners, we respect international law, that is our position. Regarding what you said about the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, that remains unchanged. We have always emphasized this and Ukraine’s policy has not changed.
The statement itself broke no new ground in Ukrainian policy. Kyiv has never recognized the unilateral declaration, and the position follows directly from the argument Ukraine makes about its own territory. What was new was the setting: the confirmation came in Belgrade, in front of cameras, at a moment when the Pristina leadership had expected something else.
Pristina’s Response Came via a Facade
Zelensky drew sharp criticism from Pristina’s institutions and media over the remarks. Alongside the video of the flag’s removal, Rama posted a lengthy message framing the move as a response to disrespect.
The state of Kosovo must be respected. When Kosovo is not respected, the capital city Pristina always responds the same way. Our empathy and solidarity will always stand with peoples facing war, violence and persecution, because we, better than most, know what it means to fight for freedom, dignity and the right to exist as a state. But no goal and no policy can be built by belittling Kosovo’s statehood and the sacrifice of its people.
The wording was carefully chosen. The solidarity with the Ukrainian people stays on the page, while what had been visible on the street is withdrawn. The mayor of the capital speaks, by his own account, for the whole city, even though the flag had been raised as a gesture of support for a war that is still ongoing.
Belgrade’s Response
Petkovic reacted on X, contrasting Belgrade’s consistent invoking of international law and territorial integrity with the conduct of the Pristina leadership, which, he said, takes down its “Free Ukraine” banner the moment it does not get what it wants.
The difference is not in emotions, but in principles!
The message was short and relied on a contrast that needed no elaboration. Belgrade has argued for years that the same legal principle must apply equally to Ukraine and to Serbia, and the scene on Pristina’s facade handed it, in a single day, an illustration that diplomacy rarely gets handed to it.
Is Pristina Changing Its Stance Toward Kyiv?
Officially, no. Pristina’s institutions have not announced any change of policy toward Ukraine, nor withdrawn any earlier commitment. What came down was a flag, not a decision.
Yet the gesture carries a cost that cannot be measured in square meters of fabric. For four years Pristina built the argument that its status is comparable to Ukraine’s, and it has now called that argument into question by making its support conditional on reciprocal recognition. Kyiv, meanwhile, got confirmation that its position in Belgrade costs it nothing it had not already paid for.
As we reported on Zelensky’s visit to Belgrade, the Ukrainian president delivered his position on Kosovo almost in passing, as confirmation of something already assumed. The reply came from the facade of a hotel, and for now that is the only concrete move in this exchange. The next test will come when Belgrade and Pristina resume talks in Brussels, where messages posted on social media are not accepted as arguments.
