MOSCOW, December 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that external interference has caused a stalemate in talks between Serb and Kosovo Albanian leaders on the breakaway province's status.

The UN Security Council is set to hold closed-door talks on the issue on Wednesday, with most Western powers backing Kosovo's drive for independence. A round of internationally-mediated talks failed earlier this month.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "We are firmly convinced that the process that has been launched provides a chance to find a resolution in the end, but the impression is that somebody wants to disrupt the dialogue as soon as possible to fulfill their promises to Kosovo's separatists."

The United States, Germany, France and Britain support Kosovo's plans for independence while Russia, Spain, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, and Romania remain opposed to the prospect, saying it could set a precedent for their breakaway provinces.

Kosovo has been a UN protectorate since NATO's 1999 bombing campaign that ended a conflict between Serb forces and ethnic Albanian separatists.

Serbia has offered its Albanian-dominated province broad autonomy but Kosovo has rejected Belgrade's proposals and pledged to proclaim independence unilaterally early next year.