Helsinki - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Finnish President Tarja Halonen on Monday discussed the situation in the breakaway region of South Ossetia in Georgia, the Finnish president's office said.

Halonen expressed concern for the situation and called for an immediate end to the fighting saying "there was no military solution" and that humanitarian relief should be channelled to the civilian population, according to a statement issued by the president's office.

The Finnish president backed recent calls for troops to be withdrawn to the positions held before fighting broke out last week.

New Delhi, July 30 : Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has condemned the serial bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

Moscow- Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday saw off the nation's Olympic team with a rallying call and a prayer service at the Kremlin to the upcoming Beijing Games.

"We will not make prognoses, but all Olympians should know that we will cheer for you with all our hearts," Medvedev told the blue- and red-jacketed athletes in the Kremlin's gilded Georgevsky hall.

Khanty Manskiysk, Russia  - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev began a summit with EU leaders Friday expected to relaunch talks on a partnership pact after a thaw in relations.

Analysts say the negotiations will offer both sides a chance to size up the political will to overcome a host of problems in the energy and security sectors before a deal can be brokered.

Official talks on the broad-ranging political pact will begin on July 4 in Brussels.

Brussels-based diplomats hope Medvedev will prove a more flexible partner than his predecessor Vladimir Putin, whose bellicose line aggravated relations with the EU's post-Soviet member states.

Moscow - The Russian and Georgian presidents traded optimistic words ahead of talks on the conflict over Russia's presence in Georgia's rebel region of Abkhazia Friday amid mounting international concern.

"I think that we, on our own, are the most capable of resolving the questions, overcoming the difficulties that exist and building our relationship for the long run," Russian President  Medvedev said at a press conference Friday before turning to ask his Georgian counterpart, Mikheil Saakashvili, "What do you think?"

Berlin  - Russian President Dimitry Medvedev Thursday began his first Europen trip since being sworn in last month with a visit to Germany, arriving in Berlin shortly before noon.

Medvedev was welcomed with full military honours by Chancellor Angela Merkel before holding talks with the chancellor, President Horst Koehler and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

During the one-day visit, Medvedev is to make a keenly awaited foreign policy address at a Berlin hotel.

He is also to lay a wreath at a Russian war memorial in former east Berlin.

German politicians have expressed hopes for a new phase in relations with Russia, stressing political and human rights issues alongside the vital economic ties.