Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani has written U.S. President Joe Biden to ask for his support in the Balkan nation's bid to join the NATO security alliance, according to media reports.
In the letter, according to reports by Reuters and AFP on March 17, Osmani said that Moscow will likely try to destabilize the region, making Kosovo's bid to join NATO "imperative."
"We express our hope and expectation that the United States will use its leadership and influence to actively support and advance the complex NATO membership process for Kosovo," the letter, sent to the White House on March 10, says.
"We are exposed to persistent efforts by Russia to undermine Kosovo and destabilize the entire Western Balkans," Osmani added.
Pristina has been pushing for some time to gain membership to NATO and the European Union.
One sticking point has been its status.
Most Western nations have recognized Kosovo’s independence, including 26 of NATO's 30 members, but that still means it would be impossible to get the unanimous vote needed from the alliance for accession.
Spain, Greece, Romania, and Slovakia -- all NATO members -- do not recognize Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a 1998-99 conflict between ethnic Albanian separatists and Serbian forces.
Kosovo currently hosts almost 3,800 NATO peacekeeping troops that came after a 78-day NATO air campaign drove Serbian troops out of the country and ended the war.