Overview
- Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said his government is in exploratory talks to host a UK return hub for people whose asylum claims have failed, adding Pristina would seek security support and investment and noting limited capacity.
- The UK stresses return hubs are distinct from offshore processing, would handle people only after UK appeals are exhausted, and remain subject to significant legal and operational hurdles with no formal request made.
- Regional responses diverged: Albania’s Edi Rama ruled out hosting, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency rejected participation, and Montenegro’s Milojko Spajic floated openness only in exchange for major infrastructure investment.
- At the London summit, no deals were announced on hubs, while the UK extended its commitment to NATO’s KFOR in Kosovo to December 2028 and unveiled new sanctions on Balkan-based smuggling networks including a Kosovo passport forgery ring.
- British officials highlighted the Western Balkans transit route used by about 22,000 people last year, adding Serbia and Montenegro to a joint migration taskforce and pledging closer UK–EU law-enforcement cooperation.