The United States deputy secretary of state, Strobe Talbott, has arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian leaders who have been working for a diplomatic resolution to the Kosovo crisis.

Before Mr Talbott's arrival, senior officials -- including Russia's envoy to the Balkans, Victor Chernomyrdin -- worked out what they called a basis for the discussions ahead; they gave no details.

The BBC correspondent in Moscow says expectations of the talks are not high, and Mr Talbott will be pressed hard on NATO plans. At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers today, further economic sanctions were announced against Serbia; they include a ban on travel by Serbian officials and a freeze on their assets.