DELPHI, Greece — The European Union is making a serious mistake by not engaging directly with Russian leadership over an end to the war in Ukraine, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told POLITICO.
“I can say, Europe has done a big strategic mistake to cut every channel with Russia,” he said in an interview at the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece. “Europe has to be always, always, always talking to everyone.”
The remarks go against the approach of top EU officials such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and chief EU diplomat Kaja Kallas, who have shunned direct contact with Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, arguing that such talks are meaningless if Moscow is determined to continue its war anyway.
But for Rama, whose country aspires to join the EU in the coming years, Europe is consigning itself to the sidelines of any future peace deal between Ukraine and Russia by avoiding direct engagement with Moscow.
The “more we postpone it [speaking to Russia], the less we’ll have a say at the end because Russia — however this war ends — Russia is not going anywhere,” he said, adding that his own country had zero ties with Russia. “We don’t have … any kind of dependence from Russia … no investment, no Russian gas and Russian shit, so I can say this.”
‘Kushner island’
The remarks from Rama — a former professional basketball player who balances statesmanship with making his own artwork — come as EU leaders gather in Nicosia, Cyprus, to discuss further support for Ukraine as well as an energy crisis plaguing the bloc amid Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Under Rama’s 13-year leadership, Albania has positioned itself as staunchly pro-EU while maintaining a relationship with the United States and President Donald Trump, whose war aims in Iran Rama has publicly praised.
“It’s not for us [Albania] to decide how to deal with Iran on the global stage, but it is for us to support any attempt to weaken and possibly bring down that regime,” said the Albanian PM, adding that he would allow the U.S. military to stage operations from Albania on the condition that Washington provides “air protection, which we don’t have in the country.”
Rama’s cordial relations with Washington include ongoing negotiations between his government and a company owned by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, over a potential investment deal for Sazan Island off Albania’s coast.
Kushner, via his company Affinity Partners, is negotiating to invest $1.4 billion to transform the uninhabited, 5-square-kilometer island in the Adriatic in order to turn it into a luxury eco-resort with high-end villas, marinas and bunkers for wealthy visitors.
The plans have prompted howls of protest from environmental groups, with 41 organizations writing to Rama and his environment minister in January to urge the immediate breakoff of negotiations, arguing that the plans represent a “direct contradiction” of Albania’s obligations under the EU accession process.
Asked about the plans, Rama voiced frustration: “It’s incredible that even big channels, highly reputed worldwide, they even talk about an island that was sold to Jared Kushner. It’s not true … I don’t know how to make this end because we haven’t made a deal with Jared Kushner. We are negotiating a deal with Jared Kushner.”
Talks about the deal have been ongoing since before Trump’s second term, added Rama, at a time when it was “not clear if he [Trump] would be in the White House or in jail.” But the deal should in no way impede Albania’s bid to join the European Union, a process in which, along with Montenegro, “we are the frontrunners,” said Rama.
On the contrary, “I wish we will finally have the deal because if their [Kushner’s company] investment will go through, it will be a beautiful present … to make to Europe,” he said, adding that it was “about beauty, about sustainable development.”
An EU official, granted anonymity to speak freely, said the European Commission was aware of the planned sale and had no immediate comment on its potential impact on Albania’s accession bid.
‘Serious artist’
Rama, who described himself as a “serious artist” and, standing 1.98 meters tall, was a professional basketball player before entering politics, is known for cultivating an offbeat image.
After voicing admiration for POLITICO’s AI-powered transcription tool (“Why don’t I have this?”), Rama spent the first 10 minutes of the interview sharing images of sculptures that he had made partly by hand and partly with AI, which he will display at an upcoming exhibit in Berlin.
Albania made headlines by launching the world’s first “AI minister” named Diella — although the actress on whose face Diella is based has announced she is taking the government to court for using her likeness.
Rama was undeterred: “We are preparing her to go in live interviews” as well as “government meetings,” he said.
The AI minister is part of a modernization drive in Albania, which aims to finalize membership talks with the EU by the end of 2027 and become a full member of the bloc by 2030. Rama refers to EU enlargement as a process of “unification” of Europe, rather than the expansion of a bureaucratic union.
After meeting in Delphi with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose support he will need if Albania is to be accepted as an EU member, Rama said: “I have never seen them [EU leaders] so convinced about the need to unify Europe.”
Yet Rama is adamant about being able to make his own choices on foreign policy, including being “sympathetic” to the Trump administration. This did not stop him from being “100 percent aligned with Europe” on its strategic aims.
Asked if Albania would have to choose sides if it becomes an EU member, Rama concluded: “It’s like the human and the artificial intelligence. In art, you have to accept both, to have the best outcome.”
CLARIFICATION: This article has been modified to reflect that the deal being negotiated over Sazan Island is a partnership with the Albanian government.
