• Over the next two weeks, the closing arguments will be delivered at the Specialist Chambers (Indeksonline, media)
• The constitutional deadline is approaching, but VV still has no concrete steps for electing the president (media)
• The first meeting of the Board of Peace on February 19: two presidents and one prime minister say they have received invitations from Trump (Indeksonline)
• Haradinaj visits the embassy of Kosovo in Washington and encourages the staff (RTK)
• Kosovo should be in NATO’, message of congressman Self at table with Albanian MPS (Telegrafi.com)
• Arrests and mistreatment of Kosovars at the border: Serbia challenges international norms (Lajmi.net)
• New interviews over alleged vote-rigging to take place tomorrow, targeting these municipalities (Klan Kosova)
• Davenport: the Banjska attack could have been much worse, a wakeup call about the real threats facing Kosovo (Express, Klan Kosova)
• Kosovo at the Winter Olympics (media)

Over the next two weeks, the closing arguments will be delivered at the Specialist Chambers (Indeksonline, media)

From February 9 to 18, the final statements of the prosecution and the defense teams will be presented at the Specialist Chambers in the largest case before the court, media report. On Monday and Tuesday, the closing statements of the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office and the Victims’ Counsel are expected to do so.

On Wednesday, the defense will begin its closing statements with the teams representing former President Hashim Thaçi and former Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli, followed a day later by the defense of Rexhep Selimi. At the very end of the week, on Friday, the closing statement of the defense of former Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi will be delivered.

On February 17, when Kosovo celebrates the 18th anniversary of its independence, and one day before the announced conclusion of the trial, a peaceful march has been announced in Pristina by the non-governmental organization “Liria ka Emër” (Freedom Has a Name) to express support for the four former KLA members. Protests have also been organized earlier—in Pristina, Skopje, Tirana, The Hague, and Strasbourg.

Kosovo Online reports that more than 220 people have submitted a request to attend the final sessions in the trial against former KLA leaders, which many times exceeds the capacity of the court gallery, which has only 67 seats, the Kosovo Specialized Chambers announced. The specialized panels confirmed that due to the limited number of seats, priority was given to certain categories like family members, media and diplomatic representatives of Kosovo.

The constitutional deadline is approaching, but VV still has no concrete steps for electing the president (media)

With about two months left before the constitutional deadline to elect Kosovo’s next president, political parties have yet to begin substantive talks. The ruling VV says the issue is not urgent, prioritizing the constitution of the Assembly, formation of the new government, and approval of key international agreements, including the EU Growth Plan and World Bank deals. President Vjosa Osmani has indicated her intention to seek a second term but has not shown concrete efforts to secure backing. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has not guaranteed her re-election, instead calling for a cross-party consensus candidate. Analyst Melazim Koci suggests a possible agreement between VV and Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) on a consensus figure, despite VV ruling out a governing coalition with PDK. Under the Constitution, the president must be elected at least 30 days before the current mandate ends; Osmani’s term expires in April, making the coming weeks decisive, Koha.net reports.

The first meeting of the Board of Peace on February 19: two presidents and one prime minister say they have received invitations from Trump (Indeksonline)

Several world leaders have responded cautiously to invitations to join Donald Trump’s newly launched Peace Board, unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Romania has not yet decided whether to accept the invitation, while Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have confirmed plans to attend related meetings. Around 19 countries have signed the founding charter so far, but several—including Croatia, France, Italy, New Zealand, and Norway—have declined to join. Membership requires a $1 billion fee, and some states say they would only reconsider if the charter is changed, which currently names Donald Trump as chair and U.S. representative.

Haradinaj visits the embassy of Kosovo in Washington and encourages the staff (RTK)

AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj announced that, at the end of his visit to Washington, he also stopped at the Embassy of Kosovo, RTK reports.

Ramush Haradinaj visited Kosovo’s Embassy in Washington, where he thanked Ilir Dugolli and the embassy staff for their work and dedication. He encouraged them to continue their efforts amid a challenging geopolitical climate, highlighting Kosovo’s strong support and understanding from the United States.

Kosovo should be in NATO’, message of congressman Self at table with Albanian MPS (Telegrafi.com)

Kosovo must be in NATO to create stability in the Balkans. This was the message of US Congressman Keith Self during a Security Forum in the U.S. Congress, where Albanian MPs were also present. Congressman Keith Self said: “I am looking for balance in the Balkans. I want balance in the Balkans, and I think one of the key parts - and I have taken it as a personal mission - is Kosovo's membership in NATO, which would be a particularly stabilizing force in the Balkans. We need to make progress on that, and we need to respond to objections of some countries. I believe that this is a key part of what we are talking about today, because security in the Balkans - the Balkans today, in my opinion, is a powder keg - and we need to resolve this and bring stability to the region”. The meeting also discussed the plan to increase defence spending to 5% of all NATO countries' budgets.

Arrests and mistreatment of Kosovars at the border: Serbia challenges international norms (Lajmi.net)

Transit through Serbia remains unsafe for Kosovars—especially Kosovo Albanians and former KLA members—following continued arrests at border crossings, most recently that of Mit’hat Llozhani, Lajmi reports. Kosovo institutions and veterans’ organizations warn travelers to avoid Serbia, citing Serbian watchlists and repeated detentions often justified under war-crimes pretexts. The Organization of KLA War Veterans, led by Hysni Gucati, urges veterans not to travel through Serbia. Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Serbia is violating international human rights standards and calls for international pressure. Security experts, including Arben Dashevci, are urging a tougher international response—potentially sanctions—to ensure freedom of movement in the region.

New interviews over alleged vote-rigging to take place tomorrow, targeting these municipalities (Klan Kosova)

Klan Kosova learned that new interviews regarding alleged vote-rigging will be conducted in the Municipality of Drenas and the Municipality of Dragash. The Pristina Regional Police Directorate will interview the suspects in the Municipality of Drenas, while the Prizren Regional Police will also conduct interviews in the Municipality of Dragash.

Davenport: the Banjska attack could have been much worse, a wakeup call about the real threats facing Kosovo (Express, Klan Kosova)

Former head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Michael Davenport, has said that the 2024 attack in Banjska could have been far more severe, Express reports.

He stated that the incident serves as a wakeup call regarding the insecurity and real threats Kosovo continues to face. “At that time, I was in Kosovo, and I believe the attack in Banjska—which could certainly have been much, much worse—was a wakeup call about the insecurity and real threats Kosovo is confronted with,” Davenport said.

He added that the Kosovo Police handled the situation very effectively. “In fact, it was handled very effectively by the Kosovo Police at the time, but there was the tragic loss of Sergeant Bunjaku’s life. It was an extremely serious incident.” “We also had the attack on Ibër Lepenc. There are threats to Kosovo coming from different directions, including from non-state ethnic groups, and more can be done to support Kosovo in the future,” he said in an interview with Klan Kosova.

Kosovo at the Winter Olympics (media)

Media reported widely on Saturday about Kosovo’s participation at the Winter Olympics in Italy. President Osmani praised Kosovo’s Olympic representation, highlighting Kosovo’s ski athletes Kiana Kryeziu and Drin Kokaj and saying the Kosovo’s flag was proudly displayed at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Italy.