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US Secretary of State arrives in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive John Kerry on Tuesday afternoon, then Kerry will go for the negotiations with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

MOSCOW, May 7 (Itar-Tass) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in the Russian capital on Tuesday to discuss with the Russian leadership different aspects of bilateral cooperation and the most pressing international problems.

After the landing Kerry did not go out from the airplane for about 20 minutes, then U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul got onboard the airplane, and the U.S. secretary of state descended from the plane only 15 minutes later. Meanwhile, the U.S. top diplomat waved the hand to the journalists welcoming him, before he has got in his motorcade.

This is the first visit for Kerry in Russia as the U.S. secretary of state. Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive him on Tuesday afternoon, then Kerry will go for the negotiations with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. This will be already the fourth meeting between the heads of the supreme diplomatic agencies of the countries.

In particular, Lavrov and Kerry will discuss the situation in Syria, the missile defence problems, the settlement of the Iranian nuclear dossier and bilateral cooperation. High on the agenda of the negotiations between the ministers will be the preparation of a response to the message of the U.S. president to the Russian leader. “Certainly, high on the agenda of our negotiations with John Kerry will be the issues, which concern strategic stability in all its aspects, including the missile defence. Now we are drafting a response of the president of the Russian Federation to the message, which the U.S. president sent to Putin in the middle of the previous month,” Lavrov said before. “Doubtlessly, the negotiations with John Kerry will be useful for us to prepare this response in the most correct way,” he stated.

The situation over the adopted Russian children in the United States, cooperation in Afghanistan, the struggle against drug trafficking and terrorism are also put on the agenda of the negotiations.

Kerry will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb to the Unknown Soldier in the Russian capital.