Putin’s Balkan Mischief
At every turn, Russia has challenged Western efforts to facilitate Kosovo’s independence. While the US and the EU do not want to worsen relations with Russia, they cannot retreat in the face of Russian obduracy, because Europe's security is at stake.
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Russia is again on a tear. This time, the Kremlin has stuck its finger in the West’s eye over the long and painful effort to bring Kosovo to formal independence. Unlike the fracas over an American missile shield in Europe, this conflict shows no signs of blowing over, and threatens to damage further the rocky relationship between Russia and the West.