The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a watershed moment in European history. It has affected all regions in Europe, including the Western Balkans, and of course Kosovo, and pointed to key vulnerabilities in the region and beyond undermining the European Union’s geostrategic ambitions on the continent. This brief argues that in facing this challenge, France has a pivotal role to play. Its re-engagement in the region is a good start. But to project constructive leadership in EU affairs and contribute to the effective anchoring of the region into a sovereign Union, France will need to take further measures, and invest diplomatic capital where it is most needed. In Kosovo, concrete actions need to be taken to at last give substance to the EU’s call for strategic autonomy and respond to Kosovo’s actual transformation progress and European aspirations.