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US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Moscow

John Kerry will have talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and be received by Russian President Vladimir Putin
US Secretary of State John Kerry  Mikhail Japaridze/TASS
US Secretary of State John Kerry
© Mikhail Japaridze/TASS

MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Russia on a visit - a third in less than one year. Previously he was in Russia in May and December 2015. His plane touched the runway at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport minutes ago.

Kerry will have talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Russian presidential press-secretary Dmitry Peskov Putin will receive Kerry on Thursday to discuss Syrian settlement and Minsk Accords on Ukraine, but there is no fixed agenda.

The US Department of State said the agenda of Moscow’s talks would including efforts by the International Syria Support Group for the sake of the cessation of hostilities, humanitarian aid and its better availability, promotion of political transition in Syria and the struggle against the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia as a terrorist group).

Russia hopes that Kerry’s visit will help normalize bilateral relations.

"The situation in Russian-US relations remains no easy," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "The series of confrontational steps Washington has taken on the pretext of the Ukrainian crisis dealt a heavy blow on cooperation."

Later on Wednesday, Kerry is scheduled to meet with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is in Russia on a working visit.