(MOSCOW) - The brother of late Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic condemned Western countries on Tuesday for recognising Kosovo's independence, saying it could lead to bloodshed.

"It is a criminal policy, which could lead to bloodshed," Borislav Milosevic, the former Yugoslav ambassador to Russia, said at a news conference in Moscow.

"Europe has made a grave mistake," Milosevic said. "It is illegitimate and sets a precedent for taking power from other countries," he added, referring to the recognition of Kosovo's independence.

Kosovo's Albanian-majority parliament unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on February 17.

The move provoked a global diplomatic split with Serbia and traditional ally Russia on one side, and Kosovo's backers -- including the United States and most European powers -- on the other.

Milosevic said the move could also lead to Russia recognising the breakaway Georgian province of Abkhazia if the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) accepts Georgia's long-standing membership bid.

Moscow has warned that it could take any recognition of Kosovo as a precedent in dealing with other separatist struggles but has made no moves to recognise any separatist state so far.

Russia's foreign ministry announced last week that Moscow was lifting trade sanctions on Abkhazia and the Russian parliament is due to discuss Abkhazia's independence bid on Wednesday.

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