London, 21 October 2025
On the eve of the Berlin Process Summit, hosted this year by the United Kingdom, the Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, was welcomed for a visit at the prestigious British institution for security and defense, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), in a discussion organized jointly by RUSI and King’s College London. During the event, Prime Minister Kurti delivered an opening address and responded to questions from the audience, which included four British MPs, university professors, and journalists.
At the beginning of his remarks, Prime Minister Kurti thanked the organizers for their hospitality and for the opportunity to engage in this important discussion ahead of the Berlin Process Summit. He emphasized that security, development, and migration will be the main themes of the Summit. The Prime Minister underlined that the United Kingdom remains a steadfast partner and a special friend of the Republic of Kosovo, adding that the British presence in our region is not only welcome but also necessary.
The Prime Minister also spoke about Kosovo’s progress during his government’s mandate. He highlighted that Kosovo is now the most democratic country and the fastest-growing economy in the region. According to Gallup, Kosovo ranks third in the world and first in Europe for the rule of law, while in Transparency International’s index, it has improved by 31 places in the fight against corruption. The average economic growth over the past four years has been 6%, never below 4%, with exports and foreign investments having doubled.
“Kosovo is an ally and contributor to NATO, and our future belongs in the EU and NATO,” the Prime Minister stated. In this regard, he noted that defense spending has been quadrupled, focused on modernization and new systems, and that the government has invested in innovation, education, and partnership — because, as he put it, “by strengthening ourselves, we strengthen the Alliance we belong to.”
In his speech, the Prime Minister also addressed European security and Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine and its devastating consequences for Ukraine as the war nears its fourth year. He mentioned the case of Viktoriia Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist captured by Russian forces in August 2023 while reporting in the Zaporizhzhia region. She was held in complete isolation and was declared dead in September 2024. Her body was returned to Ukraine following a prisoner exchange agreement in February 2025, bearing signs of torture and inhumane treatment — reflecting the systematic violence inflicted on Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Prime Minister Kurti noted that Ukrainian prisoners of war captured by the Russian Federation have now been held longer than he himself was as a political prisoner of the Serbian regime from 1999, for two years and seven months. He emphasized that while he survived violence, many citizens of Kosovo did not share the same fate. “The solidarity of our people with the Ukrainian people is entirely natural — it stems from our own experience of resistance and survival,” he said, adding that this same sense of solidarity and international support connects Kosovo with the people of Ukraine in their struggle for justice and universal rights.
The Royal United Services Institute is one of the oldest think tanks in the world and the largest in the United Kingdom in the field of defense and security. Its mission is to inform, influence, and strengthen public debate to help build a safer and more stable world.
