* Greece's prime minister, Konstantinos Karamanlis:
- said U.S. plans to deploy missile defense elements in Eastern Europe should be decided in the framework of Russia-NATO dialogue
- invited Russian energy companies to invest in the Greek economy
* Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, said:
- he sees no alternative to dialogue on the Iranian nuclear problem and other regional conflicts
- a former separatist minister of Chechnya, Umar Khambiyev, could return to Russia's troubled North Caucasus republic
* Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a custody order for a Russian aerospace engineering firm head facing charges of transferring sensitive technology to China, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported
* North Korea reaffirmed February's nuclear disarmament commitments, but urged Washington to lift financial sanctions first, the UN nuclear agency head said
* Russia's nuclear power agency:
- denied Tehran's claims that Iran recently paid a $12.7 million installment for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the south of the country
- commissioning of Bushehr NPP will be put off for a period equal to the construction payment delay
* Afghanistan is interested in cooperating with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and purchasing Russian armaments, the regional security body told a Kabul meeting
* Guus Hiddink, the Dutch coach of the Russian national soccer team, will not appeal a court's decision in the Netherlands that found him guilty of tax evasion charges, a lawyer for Hiddink said
* The Ukrainian Security Service believes the Moscow mayor's remarks during his visit to Sevastopol contravened the Ukrainian Constitution and plans to question him, a spokesperson said
* Russia's nuclear chief said Russian fuel will be supplied to the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran six months before its launch
* Russia's ultra-nationalist LDPR faction walked out of the lower house of parliament Wednesday in protest against regional elections results
* Russia's mission control said the International Space Station's orbit will be adjusted March 16 to prepare for the docking of a Russian spacecraft
* The Moscow City Court suspended hearings in the case of the murdered former Forbes Russia editor Paul Klebnikov after a defendant went missing
* Renowned Russian oligarch and Chukotka Governor Roman Abramovich, 40, has obtained an amicable divorce in Russia
