Serbia and Russia have warned that Kosovo's planned unilateral declaration of independence would set a dangerous precedent for other secessionist movements.
The warning came during a closed-door meeting of the 15-member UN Security Council called by the two allies to discuss the dangers of a declaration by Kosovo's Albanian separatist leaders.
A core group of EU states: Britain, France, Germany and Italy, are expected to recognise an independent Kosovo quickly.
US deputy ambassador to the UN Alejandro Wolff defended the argument of Western countries that the case of UN-run Kosovo is unique and a consequence of the ethnic cleansing policy of late autocratic Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
Despite its repeated warnings against a partitioning of Kosovo, Moscow has never suggested it would retaliate by coming out in favour of independence for pro-Russian separatists in its neighbour Georgia.
Some EU members are hesitant to recognise an independent Kosovo, fearing that it may set a precedent for other separatist regions.
Spain, which is faced with its own separatist campaign in the northern Basque Country, is particularly hostile, fearing that it could lead to greater instability in the region.
Kosovo has been under UN stewardship since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign drove out forces loyal to Milosevic to end a brutal crackdown on the province's mainly ethnic Albanian population.
Russia has said it will change its policy towards the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia if Kosovo is recognised as independent.
A foreign ministry spokesman said that the declaration and recognition of Kosovo independence will force Russia to adjust its line towards Abkhazia and South Ossetia where the overwhelming majority of the population have Russian citizenship.
