Kerry meeting with Russian counterpart to discuss Syria

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Geneva for high-level talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to try to arrange a ceasefire in Syria.

According to the reports, the State Department said the meeting on Friday would focus on "reducing violence, expanding humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people and moving towards a political solution needed to end the civil war."

Kerry and Lavrov have met several times over the past two weeks in Geneva and during the G20 summit in China, but failed to close the gaps on “technical issues.”

The US government said earlier this week that the meeting between the two diplomats would not happen unless they had resolved outstanding issues regarding the ceasefire.

Before Kerry’s departure on Thursday afternoon, Lavrov reportedly flew to Geneva for a meeting with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura, who has urged Washington and Moscow to reach an agreement that would allow safe delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrian towns.

The latest talks come days after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter accused Russia of spreading global instability and questioned whether Moscow genuinely wanted a ceasefire in Syria.

SS