TIRANA—Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, observers in the Western Balkans and beyond have wondered whether US policy toward the Southeastern European region would change. For decades under both Democratic and Republican administrations, US strategy centered on support for the region’s eventual European Union and NATO accession, as well as on investments to strengthen democratic governance, energy independence and regional market integration. Though US engagement has decreased since its 1990s peak—as Washington adopted a complementary role to European leadership (except on security and defense)—this strategic anchor remained consistent.
Trump’s second term has upended some of these core principles. There is some policy continuity in the US legislative branch, as codified through a bipartisan Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act, and in the Pentagon, which has not changed US force posture in the region. But the US State Department has taken a different approach in line with broader global shifts. These were clearly articulated in a recent State Department report sent to Congress, which defines the US goal as effectively being “stability … as a means of pursuing economic cooperation.”
