On 22 January, US President Donald Trump established the Board of Peace (BoP): an international organisation aimed at overcoming the failures of global institutions in securing lasting peace. But the BoP is controversial. It has attempted to undermine the UN, its decision-making processes are autocratic, and its buy-in principle for a permanent seat contradicts multilateral values.

Most EU members have hesitated or declined to join the BoP. But Albania and Kosovo, alongside Bulgaria and Hungary, are among the few European countries to have signed up.

Their enthusiasm for becoming members of the BoP, whose membership comprises authoritarian-leaning states, might reflect democratic backsliding in Albania and Kosovo. Both countries suffer weak institutions, patronage and concentrated political power.

Yet their joining also reflects these countries' growing ambivalence about EU alignment. Albania and Kosovo have linked their foreign and security policies to the EU’s enlargement framework. By joining the US-led initiative, however, they appear to favour transatlantic ties over full EU cohesion. This reflects their dependency, since the 1990s, on the United States for political legitimacy, security assistance, and state-building support.

Albania and Kosovo have linked their foreign and security policies to the EU’s enlargement framework. But by joining the US-led Board of Peace, they appear to favour transatlantic ties over EU cohesion

Now, the EU and US are becoming increasingly divergent. Joining the BoP while seeking EU membership thus creates a dilemma regarding Kosovo and Albania's political alignment.

Kosovo’s security dependency on the United States

Following the US-led NATO intervention that ended the Kosovo war, the United States became an important political, economic and security partner for Kosovo. Washington supported the Kosovo Security Force, promoted relations with Serbia, provided financial aid, and helped Kosovo join international organisations. Kosovo continues to rely on NATO and the US as its primary security guarantor and deterrent against Serbia.

As a result, Kosovo remains closely aligned with the US. Indeed, withdrawal of American economic and security support would weaken Kosovan deterrence, expose it to security threats and undermine the country's international position.

Albania’s alignment with the United States

Albania, too, enjoys close ties with the US. The collapse of communism and the dissolution of Yugoslavia accelerated Washington's emergence as a strategic partner. The US supported Albania's economic development, democratic transition and NATO membership.

Albania supported US foreign policy missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, hosting a US military presence and Special Operations Forces headquarters. In 2021, it accepted a US request to temporarily host Afghan political migrants. Prime Minister Edi Rama stated the country would 'undoubtedly not say no' to America. This reinforced Albania's image as a loyal partner and demonstrated ongoing commitment to the US.

Public opinion reflects Kosovo and Albania's close ties with the United States. 2023 research by Gallup finds that 84% of people in Kosovo approved of the US, as did 63% of Albanians. This gives the United States its greatest soft power advantage in Kosovo. In 2025, 64% of Albanians approved of Washington under Trump – one of the highest levels of support for the US among NATO countries. This suggests that pro-American sentiment would remain high in Kosovo and Albania, regardless of US leadership.

Albania and Kosovo in Trump’s Board of Peace

Despite their deep political and strategic ties with Washington, Kosovo and Albania have shown strong commitment to the EU path. Both countries express strong public support for EU membership. However, the BoP embodies a growing challenge.

The Board of Peace is a US-led initiative. Washington presents it as an alternative to the UN, particularly after it expanded its mandate beyond Gaza. This has led to diverging opinions among EU member states, which remain divided over the BoP's legitimacy, its overlap with existing UN functions and the risks of bypassing multilateral institutions.

Washington presents its US-led Board of Peace initiative as an alternative to the UN. But EU members worry about the Board's overlap with existing UN functions

However, Trump has taken an increasingly personalistic and confrontational approach, tending to criticise international organisations and multilateral cooperation unless they serve US interests. This stands at odds with Europe's approach to global governance, and pushes Albania and Kosovo to pursue a double strategy.

Upon being invited, in Davos, to be members of the BoP initiative, Kosovo accepted right away. Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani argued that BoP membership would strengthen Kosovan sovereignty and the country's international position. She expressed gratitude for America's efforts to promote peace.

Albanian prime minister Rama similarly welcomed the BoP's formation, suggesting it might challenge the existing system, help discover faster solutions, and push leaders into taking action.

Between EU aspirations and US reliance

Albania and Kosovo's long-standing reliance on the US played a key role in their decision to join the BoP, despite being in the midst of EU accession. Both countries are deeply grateful to the US for supporting their countries' independence. Both remain deeply dependent on Washington, leaving them little choice but to accept the invitation from their key partner. BoP membership also offers them a platform to diversify partnerships and improve global recognition.

Albania and Kosovo remain deeply dependent on Washington. This left them little choice but to accept the invitation from their key partner to join Trump's Board of Peace

BoP membership doesn't necessarily mean Albania and Kosovo are 'turning their backs' on the EU. Both countries' primary goal remains EU accession. But given that the BoP welcomes leaders with authoritarian tendencies, other world powers may come to associate Kosovo and Albania with countries whose values do not align with the EU, especially given these countries' recent democratic backsliding.

Membership of an initiative that opposes multilateralism and aligns with illiberal, Eurosceptic leaders risks sending conflicting signals to the European Union.

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