Putin and Kerry Discuss Situation in Syria and Ukraine

Moscow, Jul 15 (Prensa Latina) Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State, John Kerry held talks behind closed doors on the situation in Ukraine and Syria with the hope of achieving progress in the negotiations, according to media reports.

In a meeting to which the media had brief access, Putin and Kerry expressed desire to achieve a breakthrough in the Russian-American exchange and cooperation in pursuit of a solution to the most pressing conflicts such as Syria and Donbass.

The results of the talks, which lasted more than three hours, will be released on Friday through a press conference to be jointly held by the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the US Secretary of State.

According to official versions, Kerry has requested that talks with the Russian leader take place only in the presence of negotiators from both countries. Shortly before the start, the head of US diplomacy called for a separate meeting with Putin, according to the footage of last night's meeting at the Kremlin.

After greetings and a welcome, Putin emphasized that they would be mutually seeking a solution to the conflicts that "we consider important and solvable". The conversation with President Barack Obama, stated Putin, confirms that we are striving towards progress in cooperation and results.

Kerry, in turn, welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Russian president, the second time so far this year, and his fourth visit to Moscow since the beginning of the thawing in relations since May 2015.

The Undersecretary of State stated his belief that progress would be measured by the issue of Syria and expressed Obama's conviction that the United States and Russia could do much to benefit the world.

He said that he and Lavrov had a lot of work ahead, referring to the bilateral meeting scheduled on Friday.

Lavrov and adviser Vladislav Surkov, in charge of the Ukrainian issue in bilateral exchanges, participated in the talks alongside the Russian president. Kerry was accompanied by the Secretary for Eurasian issues, Victoria Nulland, special envoy for the talks with Kiev.