Moscow

MOSCOW - The Russian State Duma, lower house of parliament, ratified on Friday two intergovernmental agreements on military cemeteries, which Russia had signed with Serbia and Slovenia.

Jonuz Musliu, president of the mainly ethnic Albanian town of Bujanovac in southern Serbia, said that ethnic Albanian parts of Serbia should have a right to join Kosovo, now that the ethnically Russian Crimean region had joined Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the law ratifying the incorporation of Crimea into the Russian Federation.

Russia might take Ukraine to court after Kiev violated the 2010 Kharkiv Pact, says Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev.

In a speech at the Russian Parliament, Medvedev said the losses could be recuperated "out of Ukraine's budget", as he was quoted by Russian website Lenta.ru.

Bulgaria will be among the countries wost affected by EU sanctions against Russia, according to Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin.

In a Friday interview for the morning broadcast of TV7, he insisted that the European Union and Russia had to make another serious attempt to return to the negotiating table.

The EU has imposed sanctions on another 12 individuals over Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, but failed to agree on economic sanctions. 

With this the total number of persons on the sanctions list reached 33. 

Meanwhile, the EU leaders warned that further economic sanctions can be imposed on Russia, if the situation in Ukraine deteriorates. 

Ukraine to lose offshore gas fields in Black Sea

KIEV -- With the loss of Crimea, Ukraine has lost not only its naval bases in the territory, but also offshore gas fields in the Black Sea, reports said on Thursday.

These fields will now likely be taken over by Russia's oil and has giant Gazprom, AFP is reporting.

FM receives EU representative, Russian ambassador

BELGRADE -- Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić had separate meetings on Wednesday with EU Delegation chief Michael Davenport and Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Chepurin.

The two diplomats informed the Serbian minister "about the stands of Brussels and Moscow," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

BELGRADE - Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic had separate talks on Wednesday with Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport and Russian Ambassador Alexander Chepurin, who informed him about the stands of Brussels and Moscow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a release.

Switzerland has decided to freeze talks on a trade deal with Russia as a result of the Crimea crisis, its economy minister said on Wednesday.

Johann Schneider-Ammann said the talks with Moscow and its ex-Soviet customs union partners Belarus and Kazakhstan had been put on hold "in such a situation of uncertainty."