De Hoop Scheffer said he had urged Putin at a meeting in the Kremlin to allow a United Nations Security Council vote on the province's future and that he was concerned over delays.
"NATO allies are responsible for 16,000 men and women in uniform who are creating and guaranteeing the climate of security and stability in Kosovo," de Hoop Scheffer told Reuters in an interview after meeting Putin.
"And I think that climate is not well served when it will take longer and longer before the security council can come to any final conclusions," he said.
The fate of Kosovo is emerging as the latest sticking point in relations between Moscow and Western powers, which are pushing to give Kosovo's 2 million Albanians independence.
Russia, a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, is blocking the adoption of a council resolution that would set the NATO-patrolled territory on the path to statehood.
Kosovo, seen by Serbia as a cradle of its culture, has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO bombs drove out Serb forces to halt the slaughter and expulsion of civilians in a two-year war with separatist Albanian guerrillas.
Putin is coming under pressure from world leaders including U.S. President George W. Bush to agree to Kosovo's independence.
He is due to meet Bush on July 1-2 in Maine, an encounter some diplomats see as the last chance for a deal on Kosovo. For best video experience, fast broadband internet connection and good quality speakers or headphones are recommended. If you cannot see video, you may need to install the latest macromedia flash player plugin that you can get free from www.macromedia.com or www.adobe.com
