Richard Grenell has resigned from his post as the U.S. Ambassador to Berlin, Germany.
Grenell announced the news himself on Tuesday.
His resignation was foretold in the German media last month.
Grenell has drawn a lot of criticism by German authorities, politicians and media for his controversial statements during his tenure as Ambassador to Berlin.
For a short period, from February to May, he was Acting Director of National Intelligence, and was replaced by John Ratcliffe.
Grenell’s only official duty now remains President Trump’s envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. He has stated earlier that he is looking forward to starting work with the dialogue.
His push for a deal has been considered as undue pressure on Kosovo by international relations experts. Many believe that his approach for a quick deal before the U.S. presidential election in November led to the toppling of the Kurti government in Kosovo amidst the coronavirus crisis.
Grenell has collaborated closely with Kosovo and Serbia’s Presidents Hashim Thaci and Aleksandar Vucic, who support a land swap deal.
French and German foreign ministers,the EU top diplomat and EU special envoy for the dialogue have excluded quick fixes and land swap.
If a new Kosovo government led by Avdullah Hoti of LDK is formed, it is expected to comply with Grenell and Belgrade’s demands for Kosovo before Serbia decides to sit in talks.
With his power but also his workload diminishing, it’s not clear what Grenell’s resignation as ambassador could mean for Kosovo.
