Sergei Lavrov and Boris Tadic met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly ahead of the first direct talks between Serbian and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders scheduled for Friday.
The parties' earlier talks were mediated by the diplomatic troika comprising Russia, the European Union and the United States, which are to help them settle differences and coordinate a final status for the Balkan region - a UN protectorate since NATO's 1999 bombing campaign that ended the conflict between Serb troops and Muslim separatists.
Serbia has offered a broad autonomy to the province, its historic heartland now 90% populated by ethnic Albanians, who have declined the option insisting on full sovereignty.
The source said Lavrov and Tadic said "any decision on the dispute should be approved by the UN Security Council."
The U.S has made it clear that it will recognize Kosovo's independence after December 10, when the Security Council is to resume the Kosovo debate.
But Lavrov has opposed attempts by his Western colleagues to set a deadline for a final decision. He also said sovereignty to the enclave could cause "a chain reaction around the globe."
Russia, a veto-wielding Security Council member and a staunch ally of Belgrade, has repeatedly said that granting Kosovo sovereignty would violate Serbia's territorial integrity and set a precedent for other breakaway regions, including those of the former Soviet Union.
