Kerry to meet Putin over Ukraine

Source:Xinhua Published: 2015-5-12 10:34:34

US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine on Tuesday, the State Department said Monday.

The ongoing nuclear talks with Iran and the conflict in Syria will also dominate Kerry's meeting with Putin as well as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, while they discuss "a full range of bilateral and regional issues," the department said in a statement.

"This trip is part of our ongoing effort to maintain direct lines of communication with senior Russian officials and to ensure US views are clearly conveyed," it said.

The crisis in Ukraine has caused a dive of the relationship between Washington and Moscow, with the United States and its Western allies slapping rounds of sanctions against Russia's annexation of Crimea and its alleged military involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia is joining Britain, China, France, Germany and the United States for talks with Iran in a bid to seal a comprehensive agreement over its disputed nuclear program by June 30 after a framework deal was clinched in early April.

Kerry left for Russia on Monday, his first trip to the country in two years, from where he will fly to Antalya, Turkey for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday, the State Department said.

Posted in: Americas

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