Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) invites for talks Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic (L) during their meeting in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence, outside Moscow, on July 8, 2014. Russia and Serbia are ready to start procedures of signing an agreement on the South Stream gas pipeline in the next few days, the Itar-TASS news agency quoted Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as saying yesterday after his talks with Vucic. The 16-billion-euro ($21.8 billion) South Stream pipeline would stretch nearly 2,500 kilometres (1,500 miles) from Russia under the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia before reaching a terminal in Italy. It is an attempt to reduce Moscow's reliance on Ukraine as a transit country for its natural gas following disputes with Kiev in 2006 and 2009 that led to interruptions of gas supplies to Europe. AFP PHOTO / POOL/ MAXIM SHIPENKOV (Photo credit should read MAXIM SHIPENKOV/AFP/Getty Images)