U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov at an OSCE meeting on Thursday in Basel, Switzerland, a U.S. official said, with topics set to include Ukraine and the Middle East.

The official said Kerry -- in Brussels Wednesday for a meeting of the U.S.-led coalition against the jihadist Islamic State group -- and Lavrov would "discuss a range of topics of mutual interest including issues related to the Middle East."

Ukraine's military accused pro-Russian fighters on Wednesday of violating a long-awaited truce at a flashpoint airport in rebel-held Donetsk just hours after it was agreed.

The sound of artillery shelling echoed across the war zone's largest city the morning after both sides promised to halt fire at the site of the deadliest fighting in the eight-month east Ukrainian conflict.

Russia plans to strengthen its military ties with Khartoum, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday during a visit to internationally isolated and sanctions-hit Sudan.

"We have a project and a plan to develop military cooperation in a way that will not disturb the balance of power in the region," Lavrov said at a news conference after meeting his Sudanese counterpart Ali Karti.

A Norwegian warplane had a "near miss" with a Russian fighter jet north of Norway, the Nordic nation's military said Tuesday after showing video of the incident, which backed a complaint made to Moscow.

"The Russian pilot's behavior was not quite normal," Norwegian armed forces spokesman Brynjar Stordal told Agence France-Presse, commenting on a 26-second film clip released Sunday which appeared to show a fighter jet suddenly cut in front of a Norwegian F-16. 

Russia lashed out at NATO on Monday, saying the alliance risked "destabilizing" Europe with military drills linked to a spike in tensions over the Ukraine crisis.

Russia's deputy foreign minister Alexei Meshkov said the U.S.-led military alliance was "trying to destabilize the world's most stable region".

President Vladimir Putin on Monday unexpectedly announced Russia was shelving the multi-billion dollar South Stream pipeline project to deliver Russian gas to the Europe, blaming the EU for throwing obstacles in its path.

Putin revealed on a visit to Ankara that Russia was drawing the curtain on what for half-a-decade has been one of the Kremlin's flagship projects, saying Turkey in the future could play an important role as a gas hub.

The first troops of a high-speed NATO reaction force designed to meet the sort of crisis highlighted by Russia's Ukraine intervention should be ready early next year, officials said Monday.

NATO leaders agreed at a summit in September that the 28-member military alliance needed a new "spearhead" force which could be deployed within days to cope with emerging threats.

At least three Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 14 injured in the past 24 hours as fighting intensifies for control of Donetsk airport, a military spokesman said Monday.

Fierce battles resumed in the past three days around the ruins of the airport in eastern Ukraine, said spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

The beleaguered ruble hit new record lows on Monday after oil prices sank further amid spreading worries about Russia's economy.

The Russian currency fell for a third day in a row, slumping to over 52 rubles against the dollar and 65 rubles against the euro in afternoon trading on the Moscow Exchange.

A South Korean fishing vessel with 60 people aboard sank Monday off Russia's far east coast, leaving one crew member confirmed dead and 52 missing, Seoul officials said.

Seven people were saved after the 1,753-ton Oryong 501 operated by South Korea's Sajo Industries went down in the western Bering Sea at 0520 GMT, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.