Western Balkan Leaders Compete for Credibility in Washington

Between Feb. 3–9, 2026, Western Balkan politics converged in Washington D.C. as multiple regional governments pursued U.S. access to advance domestic agendas, recalibrate regional positioning, and draw attention to the region amid shifting U.S. priorities. 

Despite varied national motives, the presence of five out of six Western Balkan governments in Washington effectively bundled the region as a single strategic package competing for U.S. attention. Bosnian Serb leaders used Washington engagements to garner external legitimacy ahead of a partial rerun of presidential elections in Republica Srpska (RS) on Feb. 8. Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatović used his Washington visits to reiterate Montenegro’s status as a frontrunner of Euro-Atlantic integrations, while North Macedonia sought to position itself as a champion for expanding regional economic and energy cooperation. Albania’s delegation emphasized the need for institutional reforms and strategic cooperation with the U.S., while foregrounding Albania’s role as an EU membership frontrunner and a reliable NATO ally in a volatile and contested regional environment.

Notably absent was Serbia’s delegation, potentially signaling tactical distancing in Serbia-U.S. political optics amid the European Commission’s tightened scrutiny over the country’s attempted judicial reforms.  

Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Just months after U.S. sanctions were lifted against former RS president Milorad Dodik and the Serb member of the Bosnian Presidency, Željka Cvijanović, the two attended the Prayer Breakfast in Washington and held several meetings with Republican members of the U.S. Congress. 

Both Dodik and Cvijanović used their Washington visit as a stage for political signaling. The National Prayer Breakfast served as a low-cost way to translate proximity to Washington into domestic legitimacy by circulating hallway photos with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as evidence of access to international forums and recognition. Even without formal meetings and institutional commitments, such imagery helps RS leadership produce a sense of prestige and endorsement by U.S. officials.

The timing of Dodik and Cvijanović’s Washington visit was deliberate, taking place just days before the partial rerun of RS presidential elections ordered after irregularities in November 2025. The photo-ops undoubtedly served to rally domestic support by staging international acceptance.

Siniša Karan, a Dodik-ally, won the Feb. 8 partial rerun. The opposition candidate Branko Blanuša conceded defeat but insisted that the elections were fraught with irregularities, with the ruling party employing electoral engineering and vote buying. 

In his victory speech, Karan signaled clear continuity with Dodik’s separatist policies, stating: “This is the night when we start anew to do what we have been doing over the past 23 years but with ever more vigor.” Thus, Karan’s victory, paired with Dodik and Cvijanović’s political imagery tactics in Washington, strengthens the RS leadership’s continuity claim and further manufactures the appearance of external validation for a separatist project. 

Montenegro  

President Jakov Milatović utilized his Washington visit to frame Montenegro as a reliable U.S. and NATO partner at a time when Washington’s approach to regional actors is sharpening. 

In his meeting with Alison Hooker, a senior State Department official, Milatović attempted to enhance dialogue surrounding economic cooperation with the U.S., ask for support in fighting organized crime, and confirm the countries' alliance within NATO as a solid framework for cooperation.

He also took the opportunity to explain his decision to return 25 laws that Montenegro’s Parliament adopted rapidly without debate. Although adoption of the laws is necessary to meet criteria in the country’s EU accession negotiations, Milatović noted that rapidly signing laws without substantial debate demonstrates a lack of seriousness in strengthening the legislative institutions required for healthy democratic foundations.  

After initially criticizing the process, Milatović ultimately proclaimed the laws, but maintained the importance of MPs’ accountability to their constituents as a means of preserving Montenegro’s path to EU accession. Milatović’s approach potentially signals a wider shift in Montenegro’s accession politics: a pivot from focus on speed to emphasis on legal harmonization, democratic legitimacy, and institutional credibility.  

Albania 

Much like the other Western Balkan delegations, Albanian representatives used their Washington visit as a credibility campaign aimed at reinforcing Tirana as a highly trusted, low-risk partner.

Foreign Minister Elisa Spiropali combined a substantive engagement at the State Department with a high-visibility presence at the National Prayer Breakfast and the Atlantic Council Balkans Forward Summit. Spiropali’s meeting with senior State Department official Allison Hooker centered on Albania’s role in wider regional stability, with an emphasis on deepening bilateral partnership. American investments in energy and infrastructure projects were the focus of Spiropali’s meetings with Department of Commerce senior officials, William P.J. Kimmitt and Jeffrey I. Kessler. 

At the same time, Parliament Speaker Niko Peleshi framed his trip as an investment in sustained inter-parliamentary ties with the U.S. by holding a series of meetings with Congress members and attending the National Prayer Breakfast. 

In contrast to other regional delegations, Albania’s Washington visit was aimed at demonstrating Tirana’s practical value, as well as its reliable strategic partnership. The combination of State and Commerce visits, alongside Congressional meetings and high-profile public venues, shows the government’s attempt to tie U.S. interests to tangible energy and infrastructure investments. This approach may signal Tirana’s effort to build sustained cooperation that is less dependent on a single administration. 

North Macedonia 

At the Atlantic Council’s Balkans Forward Summit, Assembly President Afrim Gashi argued that the Western Balkans must stop treating EU accession as a contest in which regional actors block each other’s paths. Instead, Gashi underlined that regional actors’ accession paths must be driven by practical cooperation built on interconnected economic and energy infrastructure.

Gashi’s intervention is a deliberate repositioning of responsibility in the region’s enlargement debate. Instead of assigning blame to the EU – a common regional strategy – Gashi explicitly criticized the political behavior of Western Balkan states as the key hurdle in the accession process. In doing so, Gashi aimed to flip the script from that of grievance to that of discipline and regional leadership – a posture change that ought to cast North Macedonia as a willing and reliable regional partner.  

Serbia 

Serbian officials were not listed as invitees to the National Prayer Breakfast, with reports noting the absence of any formal Serbian delegation in Washington during the week. Belgrade’s absence signals a deliberate cooling between the U.S. and Serbia. Former Serbian Ambassador to the U.S., Milan Protic, argued that Belgrade’s absence was by design because Serbia “is angry with the Americans and does not want to send anyone important." 

Despite exclusion from U.S. meetings, Serbia garnered international attention from the EU as the European Commission urged Belgrade to overturn adoption of the Mrdić laws on the basis that they undermine Serbia’s accession prospects. 

The Mrdić laws are seen as a means of restructuring the judicial system, particularly affecting the Organized Crime Prosecution Office (TOK), to prevent the prosecution of high-ranking officials. Their implementation is timely considering the trial began for Serbia’s Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic, accused of forging documents related to a real estate project that was to be financed by a company of Jared Kushner. Kushner withdrew from the project after Selakovic was indicted, further highlighting how domestic politics greatly shapes Washington's level of desired engagement. 

Regional Implications 

This week underscored that, for Western Balkan actors, U.S. access is becoming a leverage tool. RS leaders used their Washington trip and U.S. access to boost domestic legitimacy, while Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia used their Washington meetings to showcase credibility. Serbia’s absence, alongside the EU Commission’s pressure over judicial change, shows that domestic governance choices may be increasingly shaping who gets access abroad.