The European Union and Russia failed on Wednesday to narrow differences over Kosovo's independence drive but Moscow said it did not plan sanctions against the Serbian province or its backers after any secession.
Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians are expected to declare independence in days and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with EU counterparts he doubted a UN Security Council session due on Thursday would prompt a change of course.
"I do not feel great optimism about tomorrow's session," Lavrov told a news conference after the meeting in the town of Brdo, Slovenia. He repeated Moscow's view that Kosovo's secession would be a mistake but insisted that Russia would not prepare any sanctions against the tiny, economically backward province, or against the EU.
"Russia is not resorting to any punishment measures against anyone... This suggestion sounds wild. We are sure that if there will be recognition... that will be a mistake," he said. He also said "our positions (on Kosovo) differ fundamentally ... and those differences have not been overcome".
EU officials barely addressed differences with Russia at the same news conference. Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, noting the talks had been "friendly and sincere".
Earlier EU's external relations commissioner said the 27-nation bloc would seek to convince Russia the status-quo in Kosovo, administered by the United Nations since Nato bombing to drive out Serb forces in 1999, was unsustainable.
"The status quo (in Kosovo) cannot be maintained because we want stability in the area. We hope we will be able to convince Russia that the situation is unsustainable," Benita Ferrero-Waldner told reporters. Kosovo's Albanian leaders are expected to declare independence on Sunday and to gain early recognition from most Western states.
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