Ukraine is withdrawing its peacekeeping forces from the NATO mission in Kosovo, the RBK-Ukraine news portal reported on Wednesday, citing sources in the Ukrainian military administration.
Ukraine currently maintains a contingent of 40 troops in Kosovo as part of the 3,800-strong NATO-led KFOR mission, but in March President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree ordering all military contingents to return home to help in the war with Russia.
“The return of the Ukrainian detachment will mean the temporary end of its participation in the KFOR mission,” RBK-Ukraine reported.
He also noted that the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Kosovo is in line with Zelensky’s March 7 decree.
A NATO official confirmed the reports, saying the withdrawal would not affect the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s peacekeeping mission.
“Ukraine has made a valuable contribution to our peacekeeping mission. … We welcome the country’s long-standing contributions to our daily efforts to support all communities living in Kosovo,” the official said.
NATO’s peacekeeping mission was deployed in Kosovo in 1999 after the Alliance’s 78-day bombing campaign forced Serbian troops to end their crackdown on Albanians in the now-independent Kosovo, formerly a southern province of Serbia.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by more than 100 countries, but not by countries such as Ukraine, Russia and China.
The government in Belgrade, which still opposes Kosovo’s independence, recognizes Ukraine in its entirety and has condemned the Russian invasion at the UN three times.
But Serbia, which is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas, also refuses to join the sanctions against Moscow.
Source: Capital

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