A senior European Union official on Wednesday urged Serbia, a candidate for EU membership that is also Russia's key ally in Europe, to keep up its bid to join the bloc. "The European Union is and wants to remain the most reliable partner of Serbia and the Western Balkans," Tusk added. Tusk visited Belgrade as part of his weeklong tour of Western Balkans to prepare for the May 17 summit in of EU and regional leaders. Countries in the region — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, as well as Serbia — are aspiring to join the EU. Tusk said Kosovo is a "tough, emotionally charged" issue for Serbia, but that resolving it will "pay off in the end."

Source: ABC News April 25, 2018 15:08 UTC