A bipartisan group of lawmakers is warning the Trump administration against drawing down hundreds of U.S. troops serving as peacekeeping forces in Kosovo as tensions rise in the region, according to a letter exclusively obtained by The Hill.
The letter, sent Thursday, represents a rare moment of unity among Democrats and Republicans serving on key foreign policy and armed services committees. It also puts a spotlight on a potentially escalating conflict despite President Trump's claims he achieved peace in the western Balkans.
Lawmakers wrote in the letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, that reports the U.S. is pushing to wind down the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) risks threatening security in the region.
They called for Rubio to provide clarity on the administration's decisionmaking.
KFOR deployed to Kosovo in 1999 to oversee the withdrawal of Serbian troops, marking the end of the Kosovo War. Tensions have fluctuated over the decades but have spiked in recent years, with progress stalling in European Union-led talks to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
"Given no meaningful progress in the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, a troop reduction removes leverage that could force a return to negotiations," the lawmakers wrote.
"Furthermore a reduced U.S. presence may embolden actors who view Western disengagement as an opportunity to sow unrest."
The letter was led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Oversight subcommittee on military and foreign affairs.
Other signatories include Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa); Thom Tillis (R-N.C.); Joni Ernst (R-Iowa); Peter Welch (D-Vt.); and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
House members signed onto the letter include Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.); Rick Larsen (R-Wash.); and Ann Wagner (R-Mo.).
Trump has claimed credit for preventing an outbreak of conflict between Serbia and Kosovo in 2025, but ethnic tensions between Serb communities in the north of Kosovo and escalating tensions in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina are posing a threat to security and stability in the region.
Russian interference is further raising concern that the Kremlin is exploiting ethnic tensions to fuel conflict and weaken support for NATO and Europe.
The lawmakers said the U.S. contribution of approximately 500 American troops to the 5,000-strong peacekeeping force represents "a small presence with an outsized impact."
"We urge you to maintain U.S. force levels to protect U.S. national security interests in the western Balkans," the lawmakers wrote.
The lawmakers also raise concern about rising instability in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina and how KFOR can provide support to the European Union Force operating in the region to respond to any conflict flare-up.
Milorad Dodik, former president of the Republika Srpska and for whom Trump lifted sanctions in October, is drawing criticism for promoting Serb secession from Bosnia and Herzegovina and fueling anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Dodik was a member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-person collective presidency, alongside presidents representing Bosnian-Muslims (Bosniaks) and Croat ethnic groups.
Last month, Dodik welcomed the election of his ally Sinisa Karan to the presidency of Republika Srpska, promising Karan will take decisive action against "enemies," employing derogatory insults against Bosniaks.
"Against this backdrop of escalating rhetoric, even the perception of American drawdown from KFOR may embolden nationalist agenda of actors in Kosovo and Serbia but also the separatist ambitions of leaders in Republika Srpska, undermining state cohesion in Bosnia and Herzegovina and increasing the risk of a political security crisis,"
the lawmakers wrote.