My dear friend Volodymyr Zelensky stood in Belgrade and said Ukraine has not changed its position and will not recognize Kosova. Within the hour, the loudest folk nationalists in Tirana and Pristina were already reaching for the geopolitical calculator: perhaps we should punish Ukraine, stop cheering for the free and mourning for the bombed. The most reckless among them threw stones at us for not giving up on Ukraine. Some even cheered for Russia!

What a shame to lose sight of the simple truth that freedom does not work on cashback.

Standing against a war of aggression and for a just peace is not a receipt you tear up when the victim of a barbaric aggression disappoints you. It is not a favour traded for a favour, but it is who you are and what you stand for in this messy world. And fortunately Albania is not a small man calculating who owes whom, but the Europe of the Balkans that shows the way through its faith in freedom, democracy and peace, and through the strength of its example.

Ukraine can be, and yes, it is wrong about Kosovo, but its right to be free remains unquestionable, and fighting for that right means fighting for Europe and for ourselves too. These truths can live perfectly well in the same sentence. Albania is grown enough to carry both and will carry both.

So yes: FREE UKRAINE. Today, tomorrow and always 🇦🇱🇽🇰🇺🇦