Berlin - Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (SPD) on Monday termed Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence a mistake.

In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Schroeder said the declaration had come too early and was thus wrong.

Schroeder is presently chairman of the pipeline consortium Nord Stream.

It had created new problems without solving old ones, he said.

The European Union had succumbed to pressure from the United States on the Kosovo issue.

While recognizing Kosovo may benefit US interests, it was definitely not in Europe's interests, Schroeder said.

However, the conflict surrounding Kosovo could not be resolved by excluding pro-European supporters in Serbian President Boris Tadic's circle.

Pro-Europeans in Serbia had been weakened by Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Serbia considers Kosovo its province and said the declaration on February 7 was illegal. (dpa)