Russia supports Serbian claims that the existence of an independent Kosovo would have no historical validity—a parallel being easily drawn with Russian claims over Crimea in 2014 and now over Ukraine as a whole.
Last year, Serbian protesters, reacting to the Kosovo government forcing their license plates onto vehicles with Serbian plates, had blocked border crossings with Serbia.
Belgrade cannot expect to be admitted as a member of the European Union unless it recognizes Kosovo as an independent state. The government in Belgrade, however, considers Kosovo a part of Serbia.
The agreement between Denmark and Kosovo will allow hundreds of criminal migrants with deportation orders to carry out their sentences in Kosovo instead of Denmark.
