As the European Union tries to resolve differences over Kosovo and welcome new members from the former Yugoslavia, one hopeful may have a tougher issue to overcome.
Serbia, the largest of the six Balkan countries the bloc says could join from 2025, is being forced to choose between the benefits of the world’s No. 1 trading alliance and loyalty to its biggest ally: Russia. As well as Orthodox Christianity and the Cyrillic alphabet, the two Slavic nations share a refusal to recognize Kosovo, which broke away two decades ago with help from a NATO bombing campaign. It’s a bond that’s forged deeper diplomatic, economic and defense ties.
