Overview
- Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said his country is willing to host a UK return hub and confirmed ongoing talks, adding Pristina would seek security assistance in exchange and warning of limited capacity.
- The Home Office is exploring how a hub could work but has made no formal request to Kosovo, and officials caution that legal and operational hurdles are substantial.
- Proposed hubs would be used only for people who have been refused asylum in the UK and are awaiting deportation, which differs from offshore processing models.
- Regional leaders are divided: Albania’s Edi Rama reiterated “never in Albania,” Bosnia and Herzegovina signaled it is not willing to participate, and Montenegro suggested interest only with massive infrastructure investment.
- At the London gathering focused on migration and security, the UK extended its support to NATO’s KFOR mission in Kosovo to December 2028, and no return‑hub agreements are expected to be announced.