Ukraine

"Caretaker cabinet has no comment on EU sanctions"

BELGRADE -- Serbia did not take a stand on EU's sanctions imposed against officials of the ousted authorities in Ukraine "because the government is in a technical mandate."

The caretaker government "cannot comment on such situations," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Beta on Thursday.

Russia has unofficially closed its borders for Ukrainian goods, reports the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN. 

As of midnight on Wednesday all trucks carrying Ukrainian goods are turned away at the border checkpoints with Russia. 

Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci warned against making parallels between Crimea and Kosovo.

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.

Southeast Europe, Turkey criticise Russian moves in Ukraine

The annexation of Crimea has many worried about Russian ambition in Eastern Europe.

A woman walks past Russian soldiers patrolling outside the navy headquarters in Simferopol on Tuesday (March 18th). [AFP]

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.

Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell said on Wednesday it has ended talks with Ukraine and US group ExxonMobil on extracting natural gas in the Black Sea off the coast of crisis-hit Crimea.

We should consider a situation in which a secession referendum is held in Bulgaria's city of Kurdjali.

Pro-Russian activists detained Wednesday Ukraine's Navy Chief Serhiy Hayduk, short after taking control of the navy's HQ.

Russian website Lenta.ru, citing Kriminform news agency, explains that Hayduk had ordered "the use of weapons against civilians".

Ukraine's army has not confirmed that he issued such an instruction.

Tensions increased between Russia and Ukraine after reports of an incident at a naval base in Crimea's capital Simferopol.

Ukraine's military has announced that an officer has been killed in an attack on the base, Interfax news agency has informed. Other news sources suggest he was wounded in the neck.